


That's How the Light Gets In

by bluelineblues



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Author Has Never Not Written an HEA and Doesn't Intend to Start Now, Author Has Serious Issues With JJA, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Help Me World Between Worlds You're Our Only Hope, Post-Canon Fix-It, Rey Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluelineblues/pseuds/bluelineblues
Summary: The trajectory of the entire Galaxy changed that day on Exegol.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 14
Kudos: 15





	1. The Widowhood of Every Government

So cold. So empty.

After over a decade on Jakku, Rey had acclimated to the harsh realities of life in the desert. She’d grown accustomed to the danger of extended exposure to the heat of the sun at its zenith in the sky. She’d learned to live with the danger of extended exposure at night, when the arid atmosphere kept in none of the radiant heat from the day. She respected the danger of exposure to the X’us’R’iia - which sent sand aloft and flayed any uncovered skin until it was raw and bleeding.

She had never quite gotten used to the unremitting chill of space travel. No matter how well the spacecraft’s life-support systems worked, Rey could always feel the measureless void of space deep in her bones. But in her previous travels, there had always been warmth there, too. The companionship of her friends. The enjoyment of the work keeping the spacecraft’s engineering boards humming along efficiently. The feeling she had, deep in the space between heartbeats and breath, that something called to her, claimed her as its own.

After meeting Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker, she had thought that she had a name for that feeling - the Force - and that no matter who she dared grow attached to, no matter if they died or made the conscious decision to leave, that would always be there.

Having survived the encounter with Emperor Palpatine - her grandfather, _kriffing hell_ \- and the defeat of the Sith Eternal fleet at Exegol, Rey jumped Red Five into the hyperlanes, on the first jump of an arduous journey through First Order territory back to Ajan Kloss. Now, with nothing left to demand her complete focus or divert her attention, she recognized two things with immaculate clarity:

One, that what she had attributed to the Force, was in fact the presence of the Dyad within the Force; and

Two, that feeling which had comforted her, which had claimed her, which she had expected would be with her always had disappeared - died - leaving in its wake a void so cold she thought she might never feel warm again. Not in the tropical humidity of Ajan Kloss, not in the desiccated thin atmo of Jakku at midday, nowhere.

With over an hour yet before Red Five dropped out of hyper at the first waypoint, Rey leaned back into the jumpseat cushions, held Ben Solo’s abandoned sweater to her heart, and let the familiar feelings of abandonment and loneliness break over her, like the churning waters of Kef Bir.

*

Rey touched Red Five down at the very edge of the Resistance landing field on Ajan Kloss. The field was a mess of spacecraft and reuniting friends and loved ones; from the cockpit she could see people embracing, dancing, moving in a sea of jubilation.

She had never felt so separate from them, not since the moment a defected stormtrooper and a little white and orange ‘droid had rolled into her orderly, if bleak, existence and shaken it up like the X’us’R’iia. She imagined the cheer that would go up when the assembly was informed of the death of the Supreme Leader of the First Order, and had to crack the canopy and take several deep breaths to keep from sicking up in the X-wing’s cockpit.

Her eyes prickled with the ready threat of tears. It took several moments for her to be able to gather her composure. She picked up Ben’s sweater from her lap, and tucked it securely into the belt at her waist before pulling herself up out of the cockpit, and climbing down to the ground. Once planted on terra firma, she looked up from her feet to discover herself in the teeming mass of life. They patted her arm, smiling at her, wanting to pull her into their jubilation. 

She returned their smiles with a wan smile of her own, and made her way forward slowly. In one moment, the people before her parted, and she could see Finn and Poe, standing together with their arms around the other’s shoulders, and Poe pointed in her direction. They ran towards her, and caught her up in their embrace.

And Rey could no longer hold back the tears that had been a heartbeat away from falling since the moment Ben’s body slumped to the ground on Exegol. After hours of isolation, the close contact and their affection for her was overwhelming. She began to tremble, and she hid her face in the shoulder of Finn’s flight vest. She felt Finn’s sniffle beneath her cheek, and could sense that he was feeling with her, for her, even if he couldn’t tell exactly why she was weeping. Poe - strong, assured Poe - seemed to be holding them both together.

She couldn’t tell how long they’d been there holding each other before Finn finally pulled back to check her over. “Are you hurt?” he questioned.

Rey shook her head, but Poe stood straight. “Come on, let’s get her to medical.”

“No, I just need -”

“We’ll feel better once you’re cleared, and you may feel better once you’re out of this chaos.” Poe began clearing a path through the maze of people, ‘droids, and ships. Finn left one arm around her shoulders, and guided her off of the landing field in Poe’s wake. The path from the landing field to the cave where the Tantive IV berthed was choked with people returning from Exegol, but the Resistance personnel moved aside as General Dameron used his command voice.

And then they were in the large cave that served as hangar, command center, and Jedi workshop. The Ajan Kloss base medical department really consisted only of the Tantive IV sickbay - which, as a major department of a vessel of state capable of transporting one hundred, had been generously stocked, but as the sole support of life for the Resistance on Ajan Kloss, had seen a great deal of traffic over the past months.

The Tantive IV herself looked as though she’d had a rough time of things, at Exegol. And a steady stream of Resistance pilots and assault forces made their way up the ramp, doubtless headed towards the same sickbay.

Rey shook her head. “I don’t need to go to Medical. I’m … not injured.”

Finn and Poe turned to her in unison. “You don’t look well,” Finn replied. “Do you need food? Rest?”

Rey looked down at her hands, tangled in the ends of her gauzy tunic. She forced herself to let go and drop her hands to her side - and if her left wrist brushing against the sweater in her belt gave her any emotional strength whatsoever, it was nobody’s business but her own. She raised her gaze to meet Poe’s. “I need to tell you what happened on Exegol.”

“You really don’t look well, Rey. Are you sure you don’t need to see Dr. Kalonia?” Poe looked so worried, and Rey’s heart warmed just a bit.

“Can we go somewhere quiet?”

“You got it,” Poe said, nodding. He led them up the Tantive’s boarding ramp, up the aft lift, and down the corridor until stopping before a nondescript door. He tapped at the controls, and the door panels hissed open to reveal a well-appointed office. He waved Rey and Finn through. 

“I’m going to hit the canteen, grab us something to drink,” Poe said from the corridor side of the door. “Finn, do you want to send out orders authorizing downtime for the Exegol fleet, and then an all-hands in Command in eight hours?”

“On it.” Finn stepped to one of the wall panels in the office, and began inputting the orders for eight hours’ recuperation and the all-hands meeting in the command center. When his hands paused, datapads and comms all through the ship began chiming, signaling their receipt.

Rey’s own datapad was on her workstation, perhaps, and for all she knew her comlink was at the bottom of the ocean on Kef Bir. “Kriff. Finn, will you call Rose and ask her to meet us here?” she asked quietly.

“I, uh, I’m not really her favorite person just at the moment,” Finn began. 

Rey leveled a flat stare at him, and then crossed to the wall panel herself. She brought up the communications system, then tapped in Rose’s comm address. “Rose, it’s Rey. Are you back at base yet?”

“REY! Yes, we’re landed. Are you--” Rose began.

“Can you meet me in the General’s office on the Tantive?” Rey interjected.

“--okay? Yes, of course, I’ll be right there.” The line dropped, and Rey sagged against the wall.

Finn put his arm back around Rey’s shoulders. “Rey, are you sure you’re all right? You look paler than I’ve ever seen you.”

“I’m not injured, but I’m not all right.” Rey saw Finn’s brows furrow with worry, and she held up an almost-steady hand. “When Poe and Rose are here, I’ll tell you. I just … I don’t want to have to say this more than once.” 

Finn drew her into another embrace. “Okay, starbird. Okay.”

After a few minutes, the office doors hissed open again, to reveal Poe and Rose.

“Kark, I’m glad to see you in one piece,” Rose sighed, stepping into the room and embracing Rey warmly.

“You too, Rose.” ‘One piece’ was debatable with her heart in shards, but they would know everything soon enough.

Poe set a pitcher of water and cups down on a side table, then poured a glass, handing it to Rey. “Have a seat, and drink that.” He sat down on the edge of the desk.

Rey sat down in the nearest chair without thinking, and took a large mouthful of water, swallowing it down before speaking. She opened her mouth to begin, and realized that she had no idea where to begin. She had learned so much, done so much, been present for so much more, that it was overwhelming to think of in this small room.

Best to start with the basics, then.

“First of all, I found out … who my family was.” She scanned their faces. Poe and Rose looked excited, interested .. but Finn’s face was somber. Like she herself felt.

“My parents hid me on Jakku in an attempt to keep me out of the reach of my grandfather, Emperor Palpatine.”

Rose, Finn, and Poe drew sharp breaths.

“He was there on Exegol, down on the surface… a shell of his former self, waiting until he could find a new living being to host his rotten soul or drain them of enough life essence to restore his own body.” Rey looked down at her hands. If she called up the memory she could still feel the touch of Ben’s hand clasped in hers, in that one, perfect moment between life and death.

“How did you even get there, Rey?” Finn asked, his brow furrowed with confusion and worry. “I saw you fighting Ren on the Death Star .. and then the next thing I saw was his TIE fighter taking off, and -”

“I was in that TIE fighter.” Rey opened her mouth to try to explain how, exactly, she’d overpowered Kylo Ren and stolen his custom spacecraft … only to realize she had to go back further.

“I have to explain something to you, and it’s going to sound unbelievable, but it is all true. All of it,” she stressed. “I discovered, about a year ago, that I was one half of something called a Dyad in the Force. It’s .. I guess you could call it a Force-bond, where two people’s minds, their thoughts, their feelings, are linked by the Force. A Dyad hasn’t been seen in generations, but I … I was part of one.”

“No,” she heard Finn murmur under his breath, just as Poe asked, “Who is the other half?”

“Kylo Ren,” Finn answered darkly, just as Rey replied, “Ben Solo.”

Rey turned her head to frown at Finn, as the rest of the room fell silent again. “How did you know?”

She watched, as Finn closed his eyes.. Then realized that she could feel his presence _in the Force_ , warm, bright, but concerned.

“You’re -”

“Force sensitive,” Finn finished.

“Is this what you’ve been meaning to tell her?” Poe exclaimed.

At once, Rey and Finn turned their heads to face Poe. “Spice runner?”

Poe huffed. “Once we’re done here, kark, I’ll tell you. But let’s get through this first. Wait, Rey. Is this how you knew that the First Order was coming, back on Pasaana?”

Rey nodded. “The bond connected Ben and I while we were searching through the festival for General Calrissian. He saw the necklace of beads the little child gave me, and recognized where we were.” She thought of the necklace then, lying on a Star Destroyer crashed into the surface of Exegol, and another wave of sadness broke over her.

Finn reached out to touch her arm.

“You wanted to know why I wouldn’t join you on missions, Poe, that is why,” she continued. “I didn’t understand before why it was happening, but I kriffing knew that I couldn’t jeopardize the success of the missions we were on, or the lives of our people.” She looked him directly in the eyes. “I couldn’t.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Poe asked softly.

“And say what to Master Leia? That I was losing my mind, that I was having visions of her son the First Order traitor, that I could feel darkness coursing through my soul that I could not explain?” Rey shook her head sharply. “Master Luke nearly threw me off of Ahch-To when he felt that darkness in my Force signature. I could not bring her more pain when she was already bearing so much. Not if I was capable of bearing it on my own.”

“Were you?” Finn murmured.

“Capable enough,” she replied.

Poe sighed. “Okay, we’re a little off course. You have this Force-bond with … Ben Solo,” he began. “What happened on the Death Star?”

Rey took a deep breath, willing her voice to stay steady, willing her heart not to break again. “I made it to the Emperor’s vault, and retrieved the Sith wayfinder. But as I was leaving the vault, I stumbled and dropped it .. and Ben - Kylo, then, still, picked it up. He crushed it in his hands as though it was nothing, and told me that the only way to Exegol was with him.” She realized that her mouth was dry, and she took a long sip of water. “We fought. Being bonded, I could sense when Leia reached out in the Force to her son. He was distracted, and dropped his lightsaber. I caught it, activated it, the blade went right through him … and in that moment, I felt Leia die.”

Rey dropped her head into her hands. She didn’t want to see her friends’ faces full of horror or pity or sadness or vindication, whatever they might be feeling upon hearing of Kylo Ren’s mortal wounding, or Leia Organa’s death. She had to lock her own feelings down to get through the rest of this interview.

“And I felt Ben … he didn’t struggle, he didn’t fight, he just seemed so empty, resigned to his fate. And I looked him in the eye, and I realized that he was the last link to Leia .. and I couldn’t let him die. So I used the Force to heal the wound I’d given him.”

“What? Are you karking -” Poe and Finn exclaimed loudly, but Rey couldn’t process the words. 

“Tsst!” Rose hissed. The room went silent, and then Rose was kneeling in front of her, putting one hand on her knee.

“But that’s not it, is it?” Rose asked gently.

Rey shook her head. These last few words she’d spoken to Ben were lodged in her throat - she wanted to keep them private, but felt compelled to be honest with her friends about Ben, and what humanity he may or may not have been capable of after years as Kylo Ren. “Ben had been telling me for months that the Force had shown him the future, our future - that he would offer his hand, and that I would take it. He asked me twice, and I never did … but after I healed Ben’s wound I told him that I had wanted to take his hand, Ben’s hand, not Kylo’s. And then I ran to his TIE fighter and left.”

“For Exegol?” Rose gave her a soft look, encouraging Rey to continue.

“No. I flew to Ahch-To. I was afraid of the darkness I carry, and I was determined to do what Master Skywalker had, and cut myself off from the Force to keep from becoming the Emperor’s pawn. I landed the TIE, and set it on fire.” Rey gave a humorless little chuckle. “Master Luke’s Force presence came to talk me back to sense, and that’s how I ended up bringing Red Five to Exegol.”

“What happened down there?” Poe asked, his voice hoarse.

“I had to face the Emperor, his Sith troopers, and the Knights of Ren were there, too. He wanted me to strike him down in hate so that he could … possess my body, or drain it of life, to restore himself. But I refused. I told him that I wouldn’t succumb to hate, like he wanted.” Rey twined her fingers together. “By the time I scraped myself up off the floor where he’d thrown me with the Force, I was surrounded by Sith troopers. But Ben … he showed up. I used the Force-bond to give him his mother’s lightsaber, and he dispatched the Knights while I fought the troopers. He actually took the last trooper down for me. And then we faced the Emperor, side by side.”

Rose squeezed Rey’s knee in support.

“But the Emperor realized that we were a Dyad in the Force, and drained both of us using the bond. I passed out, and when I came to, Ben was gone. I used the meditation that Master Leia tried to teach me, and I finally managed to commune with the Jedi of the past. With their strength, I got up, and I Force reached the two sabers into my hands. I redirected the Emperor’s Force lightning back into himself, and watched him disintegrate before my eyes.” Rey finally looked back up at Poe. “I’m not sure what happened after that. I came to, and Ben was holding me, and smiling. I took his hand, but then he slumped down onto the floor and … disappeared.”

“Like Leia,” Rose murmured.

“Rey.” Finn knelt before her, next to Rose. His voice was gravelly. “I … I felt you die, down on Exegol.”

“What? No. I --” Rey stammered, but stopped when she saw the solemnity in Finn’s eyes.

“Yes, Rey. I felt .. like a piece of my heart got shorn off, and I was left with a sharp shard.”

“That’s how it felt to me when Leia died,” Rey whispered.

“I think, whatever our personal feelings are about him, we owe him a debt.” Finn grabbed Rey’s hand, and she could see the tears in Finn’s eyes. What control she held over her emotions snapped in an instant, and her eyes welled with ready tears that spilled down her cheeks. 

“I know you will want to share the news about Palpatine and … and Kylo Ren at the briefing.” Rey raised her gaze to meet Poe’s. “Tell whoever you want that I finished the Emperor, but please, please, not … the other. If someone tried to congratulate me, I don’t think I could bear it.”

“I won’t,” Poe promised.

“Thank you,” Rey murmured. A tidal wave of exhaustion crashed over her, and she sighed, lowering her head to her hands. “I’m so tired.”

“What do you say we walk you back to the Falcon?” Finn suggested. “It’ll be much quieter than the crew berthing on the Tantive.. Especially after the all-hands briefing.”

Rey nodded. “I should tell Chewie … about Ben. He should hear it from me, instead of in a public announcement.”

She went to stand up, and it was like she weighed a thousand kilos. “Kriff,” she breathed.

Poe’s eyes narrowed. “If you won’t see Dr. Kalonia, we’ll have the Falcon’s mediscanner check you out.” He held up a hand. “No, no arguments.”

“Yes, General,” Rey murmured. She didn’t have the energy to argue. She wasn’t sure she had the energy to walk back out to the Falcon, but if it was that or staying for the all-hands meeting she’d walk to the next settlement, if she had to.

Her friends’ arms around her shoulders and waist, she shuffled back out to the landing field. Chewie was checking the exterior of the Falcon, finding the systems that needed repair or replacement. When he saw them hobble up to the ramp, he strode over and unceremoniously threw his arms around her. [Little Rey, I’m glad to see you in one piece], he brayed in Shyriiwook.

“We need to use the Falcon’s mediscan to check her out,” Rose told Chewie. “Exegol was not kind to our friend.”

In the space of a heartbeat, Chewie had scooped her up into his arms, and charged up the ramp. The corridor bulkhead panels passed in a blur, the sound of her friends’ feet on the deckplates behind them adding to the maelstrom of sensory input overwhelming her mind.

Door panels hissed, and Chewie set her gently down on the closest bunk. Rose stepped quickly around them, gathering the sensor leads for the mediscan and attaching them to Rey’s temples and clavicles.

Once horizontal, Rey felt the pull of sleep. _No, not yet, not yet,_ she repeated silently. _I need to tell Chewie about Be-_

She sank into merciful unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work has been dragging me kicking and screaming by the scruff of the neck since I walked out of the theater on December 19, 2019. Thank you, readers, for coming along for the ride. #BenSoloDeservedBetter
> 
> Additional tags, and a bump in rating, will be added with later chapters.
> 
> The title of this work, and all chapter titles, come from the song “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen. Thank you, Maestro.
> 
> So much gratitude to my beta readers: [greyskygirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyskygirl/pseuds/greyskygirl), [Ralkana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ralkana/pseuds/Ralkana), and Mr. Bluelineblues.


	2. The Birds They Sang at the Break of Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been far longer than I had hoped since I posted a chapter, and for that, I am so sorry. It has taken me much longer than I anticipated to find my new Quarantine Normal, especially while in the middle of content that makes me cry while writing it. I do hope that it was worth the wait.
> 
> I’ve also increased the chapter count - I had to split this current chapter into three sections, and this is no guarantee that it’s going to stay at fourteen chapters. This fix-it ‘verse has a life of its own. *helpless shrug*
> 
> With everlasting appreciation to my beta squadron: [greyskygirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyskygirl), [HighLadySolo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighLadySolo), [Ralkana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ralkana), [VickIsNotHome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VickIsNotHome), and Mr. bluelineblues, whose generous efforts make my work better - all mistakes are my own.
> 
> The moodboard on this chapter is the work of the talented [starcrossreylo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starcrossreylo) \- thank you so much!

When Rey opened her eyes again, the lights on the Falcon were dimmed, and her eyes had the gritty feeling of waking up after a long sleep. She dragged her aching body out of the bed and stumbled over to the ‘fresher. Washing her hands and her face with cool water - even if it were recycled shipboard water - felt a little like a religious experience. When she exited the tiny cubicle, Rose was standing in the doorway to the crew quarters.

“How long have I been out?” Rey asked, yawning.

Rose smiled. “About eighteen hours.”

Rey covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t get to tell Chewie.”

Rose crossed the room to slip her arm around Rey’s shoulders. “Finn and I took him aside after the mediscan was done with you, and told him that Ben came to Exegol to help you defeat the Emperor, and saved your life. That he gave his own for you.”

“Thank you, Rose,” Rey murmured. “How did he take it?”

“I think, like many of us, Chewie’s feelings about Ben are complicated,” Rose replied. “He came to the all-hands, but slipped away afterward, and he’s been out hunting all night.”

Rey nodded.

“Anyhow, it’s nearing sunrise, and there’s fresh caf in the lounge,” Rose added with a smile.

Rey looked over at her. “Have you been up all this time?”

Rose shrugged. “I napped before the briefing, and then I slept a few hours while Poe and Finn were up with the situation maps.”

“How late were they up?” Rey inquired.

Rose rolled her eyes. “Late enough to remind me how grateful I am that I only manage starships, and not tactical decisions.”

Rey huffed a chuckle. She could sympathize with those feelings. “Let’s get some of that caf.”

They walked down to the lounge from crew quarters, their boots on the deckplates the only sound until they reached the lounge and its burbling caf pot. Rey breathed deeply, and the rich scent of the hot beverage helped her brain feel slightly less fuzzy.

She had just poured herself a cup, sat down on the lounger, and put the cup to her lips when she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps up the boarding ramp. She took one good mouthful of caf, swallowed it down, then set the cup on the dejarik table and got up. As Chewbacca rounded the corner into the lounge, Rey took three running steps across the room to meet him.

She touched his arm, and met his dark eyes. “Chewie, I’m sorry I couldn’t -”

Large, fuzzy arms went around her, and drew her in. [ It’s done, Rey. You are recovering, and that foul _wwhuoaorworc_ cannot hurt any more of my family or anyone else, ever again. ]

Rey buried her face in Chewie’s fur. “I just wish I could have brought Ben home,” she cried softly, her voice and heart breaking again as she spoke his name, a torrent of tears spilling over her cheeks.

[ You did everything you could ], Chewie bayed. 

“But it wasn’t enough,” Rey keened.

[ I know, cub. I know. ] Chewie rubbed a large paw up and down her back, and the comforting gesture sent a shot of warmth like fresh caf over Rey’s soul. Her sobs eased, and she drew back, wiping her face with her armwraps.

Rose touched her shoulder, and handed her the cup of caf. She drank half the cup down in one mouthful.

“How did the briefing go?” Rey asked finally, looking at Rose over the rim of her cup.

Rose hummed. “Everyone’s happy that the Emperor and the Sith fleet are gone,” she said after a moment, then began a rapid-fire commentary. “The planetary government on Chandrila has called a congress. They want to discuss the remaining First Order threat and a new galactic government. Poe expects that someone from the Resistance will be asked to attend to speak about the conflict so far - because we don’t have more important matters to be attending to,” she complained half into her mug of caf.

“Did Poe and Finn decide where we’re going next?”

“When I turned in last night, they had heard of uprisings at Bespin and Jakku. I don’t know if they got additional intel, or what decision they had come to.” Rose drank another mouthful of caf. “Nor do we know how many First Order nests still exist in the Unknown Regions.”

“An uprising at Jakku?” Rey was stunned. “I can hardly imagine it. I mean, what exactly did they have to rise up against? A few dead Star Destroyers and a slimy Crolute?”

Rose shrugged. “I don’t know if Poe got more details. If he did, he didn’t share them with me.”

Rey took another long sip of caf, her thoughts bending towards the dustball she had made her home, however unwillingly, for so long. Unkar Plutt was no one’s definition of a fair dealer, and she wouldn’t be sad to hear that he had received his just reward for years of gouging and threatening the scavengers who did the backbreaking work of gathering salvage. But the reality of life on Jakku was that Unkar Plutt had simply stepped into the void that Niima the Hutt had left, and that should Unkar Plutt be removed, there were more of his ilk waiting for a chance to take his place.

But even so, if people were standing up for what was right on Jakku, that was a sign of hope for the future, and a small part of Rey’s heart could be glad for her fellow scavengers.

“What’s on your timetable for today?” Rey asked Rose, who had moved to the kitchen nook, and was scanning her datapad while the autochef hummed quietly.

“Poe wants at least two light cruisers ready to go to Chandrila.” She took a sip of caf. “All of our ships ate lightning - most of them also took a beating from the Star Destroyers. The Tantive will stay here since we’re not all going. My thought is to get the Falcon and the Cloudshape Falls ready to travel.”

Rey nodded. “That’s a solid plan. Do you need any help?”

Rose looked at Rey thoughtfully while she stirred the pot from the autochef. “Are you up for it?”

“I could use the distraction.”

*

Rey and Rose orbited each other as they moved about the Falcon’s small engine room. Rey was testing the hyperdrive’s relays and motivator, while Rose focused on the fuel tank’s electrical shielding and connection to the sublight engines.They worked side-by-side freely, sharing space and tools without interference. Rey heard Chewie up top, assessing the hull’s condition for spaceworthiness and performing necessary repairs.

Being fully focused on the voltmeter’s readings and the condition of the wiring and connectors meant that she didn’t have to acknowledge her broken heart or her red eyes. The engine room provided sanctuary from any of the hundred-odd well-meaning, jubilant people stationed on Ajan Kloss.

Was she hiding? Maybe. She admitted that to herself. But the work needed to be done, and she could be useful.

She was elbows-deep in the hyperdrive housing, focused on which wires she’d already tested, when her and Rose’s comlinks chirped simultaneously. “Tico… Hi, Poe. … She’s got her hands in the guts of the Falcon’s hyperdrive at the moment, can I relay a message?” Rey heard the clip of irritation in her tone, and a corner of her mouth pulled up in a smirk. _Give him hell, Rose,_ she thought.

“Oh. OH.” Rose hummed. “We’ll be there as soon as we get to a good stopping point. … Got it. Tico out.”

Rey touched the sensor wand of the voltmeter to the next line, and checked the readout. “So what’s the General want?”

“He’s heard from Chandrila. They’ve put together an agenda for the restructuring congress. The state of the Resistance is the first order of business.”

“Fantastic,” Rey muttered tartly to the hyperdrive.

“So department heads are meeting in the Command Center to discuss who’s going to make the trip.” Rose took the ‘spanner back in her hand and tightened a fuel line coupling. “I know you’re not a department head. As the person who faced the Emperor, Poe wants you there.”

“Of course he does,” Rey murmured. Something in her gut twisted with apprehension. Playing politics had rarely helped the people who most needed it; the idea of answering to a bunch of desk pilots who hadn’t lifted a finger to help fight the First Order embittered her beyond words for the telling. 

And surely Poe or someone would mention that Supreme Leader Kylo Ren had fallen to the Resistance - which, at its most basic essence, was correct. Rey felt a churning distress even thinking about the possibility that someone there would link the atrocities of Kylo Ren with the boy -- and at the end, the man -- who had wanted to live in the light. Even if they were one and the same, even though he had faded into the Force before her eyes, Rey still felt an indomitable pull to care for Ben Solo, to be his sanctuary.

She rested her head against the frame of the hyperdrive hatch. She let the cool durasteel hold her up as her throat tightened and her eyes grew wet. She took several deep, measured breaths, willing the lush air of Ajan Kloss to help clear her mind.

“...Rey? Oh, Rey.” She heard Rose set down the ‘spanner and felt arms go around her shoulders.

“I just need a minute,” Rey whispered.

“Take your time,” Rose replied, squeezing Rey’s shoulders.

*

The Resistance High Command had nearly been obliterated that day in the Crait system. Over the intervening year new leadership had stepped into the void, but with Leia’s passing Central Command had lost a vital essence that Poe Dameron, with all his brash audacity, could not supply. Rey knew in a heartbeat that he would do everything he could to try to compensate. Recalling the fiery argument they’d had over lightspeed skipping in the Falcon, she anticipated this meeting with trepidation.

As she, Rose, and Chewie approached the cluster of computers and displays that constituted the central nervous system of the Resistance forces, Rey sensed subdued feelings of accomplishment. Finn and Poe were in a huddle with Dr. Kalonia, Colonel Ackbar, Dr. Kin, General Calrissian, and an older man Rey hadn’t met, whose face was lined with sorrow.

Finn looked up, and smiled. The small circle widened, and Rey slipped into a spot between Finn and Dr. Kalonia. The doctor smiled faintly, putting an arm around Rey’s shoulders. “It’s good to see you back,” she murmured to Rey.

“You too,” Rey mumbled in reply.

“We’re all here. Let’s get started,” Poe said with quiet authority. “Rose, Rey, this is Commander Wedge Antilles - he came out of retirement to join us at Exegol. He is also Major Temmin Wexley’s stepfather.” Poe paused for a moment, swallowing. “We are deeply sorry for your family’s loss, Commander.”

The older man’s eyes glimmered as he nodded silently, accepting Poe’s condolences, and Rey’s eyes welled up, again. Snap, too? She didn’t know him well, but had liked the smart, plain-spoken man very much. 

“We will hold a memorial for our fallen before any of us leave for Chandrila,” Poe continued with a voice thick with emotion. “But we do need to figure out who’s going, so we can be ready.” He cleared his throat. “Dr. Kalonia, let’s begin with the medical department. How are our people?”

Dr. Kalonia began a recitation of the number of personnel currently receiving treatment, and the number of souls lost at Exegol. Rey closed her eyes and tried to bring her aching heart and turbulent emotions back under control, but found herself seeking out the spot in her soul where the Force bond had lived for so long. It was dark and silent.

“Colonel Ackbar,” Poe’s voice cut into her introspection, “what is the condition of our fighter wings?”

Aftab Ackbar’s Mon Calamari voice and accent had a soothing rhythm to it. Rey focused on the pattern of his speech rather than on the content, and leaned against one of the station consoles for support. The slight tremble she hadn’t noticed until that moment eased.

“... if we have the continued support of the Allied armada, this should not impact our ability to press the advantage in further operations.”

Poe nodded. “We’re starting to hear of follow-on engagements inspired by our victory at Exegol. We will keep gathering intelligence on these and any other engagements that may follow. Once the fighter wings have been repaired and cleared for duty we’ll determine our next actions in light of force conditions at that time.” Poe looked over to Rose. “Commander Tico, what is your estimate on the completion of repairs?”

Rey noticed that Rose stood straighter as she replied. For all Rose insisted that she didn’t need the trappings of rank, Rey could tell that Rose was proud of her service to the Resistance. She noted how easily, how authoritatively Rose communicated the facts to the group. Rey was proud of her friend.

Poe was speaking again. Kark, she _had_ to focus. “... Captain Kin, as head of intelligence, I would prefer you stay here to handle reports of uprising activity as they come in, but my gut’s telling me we’re going to need you on Chandrila. Colonel Ackbar, I would like you to stay and oversee the progress of repairs. Commander Tico, if you come with us, you’ll be able to speak to exactly what the Resistance’s needs are with regard to the materiel required to complete those repairs.”

Rose would be making the trip. Rey tried to make her sigh of relief as quiet as possible. “-issian, would you be willing to travel with us in an advisory capacity?”

“How’s that, General Dameron?” Lando queried.

“You have some experience dealing with bureaucrats,” Poe replied plainly.

The elder general barked a laugh. “Sure, Poe. I’ll come to Chandrila with you.”

Poe nodded. His face was serious, but there was a light in his eyes that told Rey he was extremely satisfied with the plan. “It’s settled then. Colonel Ackbar and Dr. Kalonia will remain at post; Colonel, you will be the staff officer in charge until we return. General Finn, General Calrissian, Commander Tico, Captain Kin, Rey, and I will travel in an official capacity to Chandrila, to report to the restructuring congress.”

[ If that old pirate’s going to Chandrila, I’m coming too, ] Chewie growled in amusement, showing his teeth.

“I can’t get anything past you, can I, Chewbacca?” Lando grinned.

[ Not a chance, ] Chewie replied.

Poe actually grinned at that, and Rey felt her own mouth tug upward into a tentative smile. “All right, folks,” he called out as he picked up a datapad and began tapping on the screen. “We will be leaving for Chandrila at 0800 tomorrow. Those of you making the trip, please gather whatever data or information you’ll need before dinner tonight; after dinner we will assemble at the landing field to remember our friends.”

The datapad inside Rey’s satchel buzzed as if to confirm Poe’s statement. As the group broke up and began heading toward the Tantive, Rey followed along behind them. She would have to prepare for Chandrila’s more temperate climate. 

As Rey reached the quarters that she shared with Rose, Lieutenant Connix, and Lieutenant Pava, she looked down at her formerly white training garb. It had been soaked through at Kef Bir, then dragged through the dirt on Exegol. It was filthy, and could stand a thorough washing. At the same time, Ben had touched these garments, taking her in his arms and bringing her back to life. She ran one hand over the long gauzy tail of material falling from her belt.

 _You don’t have enough clothing to warrant keeping these as a sacred relic,_ she told herself finally. _You have his tunic, and that-- that will do._

Master Leia had requisitioned the new training gear for her, after her return from the Supremacy; Rey had voiced her concerns at that time. Light colors were for surviving desert climates and sitting in throne rooms, not practical for the work of climbing around the insides of hyperdrives and running through the jungle. But Leia had responded by saying that light colors also served as a visual reminder of what they were fighting for.

Of course, Rey could see more of the picture now. Leia had known that she was a Palpatine, and by clothing her in the colors of the Light, she was making the point that what you make yourself to be is the only thing that counts, in the end.

The daughter of Anakin Skywalker would have known something about that, wouldn’t she?

Rey would take her training whites to Chandrila. She would wear them to testify before the assembly, to honor Leia and her many years of selfless service to the ideals of the New Republic. Afterward - once she was her own kriffing person again - she could go back to what made sense.

 _Your life hasn’t made sense since Finn and Beebee showed up on Jakku, and maybe not ever,_ she thought to herself bitterly.

She crossed the room to pull a worn canvas satchel out of her locker. Turning to set it at the foot of her bunk, she discovered that someone had left a box on top of the blankets. An envelope sat on top, with her name labeled neatly in what she recognized as Leia’s elegant High Galactic script.

Her heart began to thrum, her pulse feeling like its own living thing inside her chest trying to break free. It was loud enough that she could hear it in her ears. Her fingers began to tingle, and she began to feel lightheaded.

“--Rey?” Rose was at her side, with a hand on her arm. “Why don’t you sit down for a minute? You look like you could use it.”

Rey sat down at the far end of her bunk at the furthest point possible from the parcel. She gestured toward it with a numb and trembling hand.

“What … what’s that?”


	3. The Holy Dove Will Be Caught Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Though she is with us no longer to carry the torch, we must carry it in her stead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! It’s so nice to see you. Hoping that three weeks between updates is significantly better than two months. 
> 
> The good news is two-fold: first, that this chapter is 6800+ words to make up for your wait, and second, that part of chapter 4 is already written! 
> 
> The less good news is also two-fold: first, that chapter 4 promises to be another long one that may need dividing into parts, and second, that Rey’s grief should be tagged as its own character in this fic on this chapter alone. This has been a very difficult few weeks for good people of the world everywhere; if you’re in a tender place right now or have been slacking on your self-care, this may not be the update for you. If you need to give this chapter a miss until chapter 4 is posted, do so with my blessing.
> 
> With everlasting appreciation to Beta Squadron: greyskygirl, HighLadySolo, Ralkana, VickIsNotHome, and Mr. bluelineblues, whose generous efforts make my work better - all mistakes are my own.
> 
> The moodboard on this chapter is the work of the talented starcrossreylo \- thank you so much!

Rose’s face grew solemn. “Poe found that in the General’s office,” she replied quietly.

Rey took a deep breath. She reached for the envelope, then used one finger to work open the seal. The paper was pristine - Rey couldn’t recall receiving a handwritten communication before. The entire experience felt surreal, like a dream.

> My dear Rey,
> 
> Back thirty years ago, during another war in another time, Luke’s Jedi Masters warned him about Force visions. They cautioned him that visions could show things that may happen, or may not happen. They told him that visions don’t always show the complete picture, or any of the ramifications of traveling down a certain path. 
> 
> But I don’t need a Force vision to be certain that my days are drawing to a close, Rey. Humans aren’t meant to breathe the vacuum of space, and I feel my body failing in spite of the Force and bacta. 
> 
> I loathe the idea of leaving work unfinished, and yet I likely won’t have any say in the matter. After I am gone, Poe will succeed me as General of the Resistance, and it will be on him to rebuild our command and plan for the future.
> 
> I must ask you to undertake work of a more sensitive nature. My heart breaks to think that I cannot see it completed by my own hand, and yet I feel sure that in your hands, it will be treated with the utmost discretion and finesse. You will find the specifics within this case, which is secured to open only to your biosigns. 
> 
> I want you to have my effects from my time in training with Luke. You know where they may be found.
> 
> And if a dying woman might trouble you with one more of her hopes for your future, I entreat you, lay aside the hesitance that I have felt in your presence since you came back from your mission to the Supremacy. You are Rey of Jakku, as you are meant to be, just as you are. Whether or not my son chose to follow you back to the light, that shortcoming is his to overcome, and not yours.
> 
> Walk in the Light, Rey, and the Force will be with you always.
> 
> Leia

Rey watched as a tear splashed on the paper. “Kriff,” she muttered to herself. She blotted the drop with as much care as she could with a still mostly clean part of her arm wrap. She set the note back down on the case, and wiped her eyes and cheeks with the worn material near her wrists.

Rose sat down on the bunk, on the other side of Rey. “After the First Order slaughtered the people of Hays Minor,” Rose said slowly, “General Organa came to me and Paige. She said how sorry she was. She told us that she would understand if we went to seek retribution on our own, but that we had a place in the Resistance. So we stayed.” Her hand went to the pendant around her neck. “When Paige died, Leia sat me down with caf and gave me space to be angry with Poe and to miss my sister. Now Paige is gone. Leia is gone. And this still isn’t over.”

Rey reached for Rose’s hand. “You’re not alone,” she said fiercely.

Rose threw her arms around Rey in response. “Neither are you,” she replied, her voice rising plaintively.

Her wounded heart cracked open at those words - words she had cherished in the depths of her soul, turned to dust. The last tentative hold Rey had on her emotions gave way, and she and Rose wept together on the bunk.

She had cried on Finn’s shoulder the night before. This expression of grief, unable to be checked or tempered, wrung every bit of reserves Rey might have had out of her body. She and Rose sobbed until their voices were hoarse. Her tears fell until her head ached from dehydration.

Everything ached, and she was so, so tired. She lifted her arm to wipe her eyes with her armwraps, and the dirt and sweat and engine oil there finally repulsed her enough to consider a visit to the ‘fresher. “Eurgh.”

“You can go first,” Rose offered generously.

“You are too kind.”

Rey reached into her locker. Instead of picking up her clean white training uniform, she took out the grey trousers and gauze sashes that were her choice of garments after she’d left Ahch-To. She stepped into the suite’s ‘fresher cubicle, and tried to be efficient about cleaning the grime and dried sweat from her form. Her brain was mostly on autopilot as she lathered her hair and washed her face, but she was too emotionally spent to let her thoughts wander past the necessities of warm water and cleansers.

She dried off on her standard issue towel, mindful of the rough cloth over the abrasions remaining from battle. She bent low to drag on her trousers and boots and carefully pulled on the undertunic she preferred. Then, instead of pulling on the quilted, padded training tunic she normally wore under her sashes, she reached for the tunic she’d brought home from Exegol.

It fell a bit further down than the padded tunic did, down to her knees. The sleeves were likewise far longer than was appropriate for her small frame, but she pushed them resolutely up to her elbow. Once she’d draped the sashes over her shoulders to cross at the middle, she secured them in place with her belt.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. The outfit reflected the emptiness she felt. If anyone felt qualified to comment upon it … she would tell them to eat sand.

She knew where they could find some.

*

Rey packed her satchel while Rose took her turn in the ‘fresher. She folded her clean training whites tidily and set them at the bottom of the bag. She placed the poncho that had kept her warm and dry on Ahch-To in next; it would protect the pristine garments from any other item she might toss in.

She didn’t know how long a stay on Chandrila she needed to plan for. For all the Resistance’s success at Exegol, there were still pockets of the First Order out there in the Galaxy - and if they were not discovered and eradicated, the Resistance would simply be following in the footsteps of the Rebel Alliance. Another First Order would rise up, just like one of those kriffing gnaw-jaws out of the sands of Jakku.

If Poe felt that he needed to drink wine and play politics on Chandrila, he would be throwing away the momentum they’d bought at a dear price.

Her hands reached for the rest of her working clothes without conscious thought. She rolled each item tightly, and placed them carefully into the satchel to make the most use of the space. She tucked her microgarments and socks down the edges of the bag to fill what remaining room she could. Her second set of boots she laid neatly at the top.

Rey closed her empty locker quietly. She slid her datapad and Leia’s letter into the front pocket of the satchel, then closed the bag, securing the flap snugly and testing the buckle. She slung the satchel over her shoulder, then took Leia’s case into her arms.

The door to the ‘fresher hissed open, and Rey looked over at Rose. She looked calmer, and Rey was glad to see it. 

“Where you going with all that?” Rose queried, her expression becoming solemn.

“I decided to pack for Chandrila while I still had some energy,” Rey replied evenly. “I thought I would open the case while we’re in hyper. There will be little else to do.”

Rose nodded. “Of course. Sorry for the interrogation.” She shook her head. “I will never forget that when I met Finn, he was getting into an escape pod with all his belongings.”

“I’m not running away, Rose,” Rey said with a softer voice. “I promise.”

Rose laid a hand on Rey’s shoulder, and Rey gave her a small, reassuring smile. “I need to get a ship status table together. I’m sure the busybodies are going to want to know.” Rose plopped down on her own bunk, and began tugging on a black synthleather boot. “I’ll see you at dinner?”

“If not before,” Rey replied. She smiled a bit wider, then rested the case against one hip so she could activate the door panel.

Once she was in the central lift and descending toward the Tantive’s landing ramp, she leaned back against the lift wall. _I am not running away,_ she told herself. _I am maintaining tactical flexibility by being prepared to deploy and engage directly from Chandrila._

It sounded like something that would come out of General Dameron’s mouth, anyway. If there were a smaller, wounded part of her soul crying out to run, to hide, to nurse her grief in private, that was not the Resistance’s business.

The lift doors opened, and Rey stepped down the ramp into the natural cave that was the Tantive’s berth and Resistance central operations. Technicians, pilots, and officers clustered around databanks and displays - an army of people reading and analyzing and strategizing for the next mission, not the rushing, anxious optempo of imminent engagement. Her eyes lit upon the cluster where Finn and Poe stood surrounded by a circle of analysts, listening to a briefing. Finn looked up and met her gaze, and she smiled and nodded.

Rey took a meandering path around the cave that led to the workstation she’d set up. If her need to pack heavy really was about tactical flexibility, she wanted all of the weapons currently in her possession. She’d not had the Skywalker sabers on her person when she awoke from her eighteen hour nap; she would verify that they had been stowed on the Falcon before they left the next morning. She was absolutely not leaving Ajan Kloss without her staff, and the lightsaber hilt that she had cut from it.

The lightsaber hadn’t been ready before she’d left for Pasaana. It still wasn’t ready, but she had gathered all of the parts, even the modulators necessary to give the saber a low-power non-lethal setting. She had disagreed with Leia, however, over the hilt.

She ran a finger over the section of staff she’d removed to become the housing for her saber’s components. Leia’s argument against using her staff as a lightsaber hilt had been that Sith apprentices subscribed to design styles that spoke to their brutality, their power, their inexorability. Rey’s staff, sturdy, blocky, and utilitarian, looked more like a Sith’s lightsaber than a Jedi’s.

An elegant weapon for a more civilized age, her memory recited from Luke’s lesson on Ahch-To.

Her fingers curled around the free section of staff, grasping it tightly. Leia had also told her not to be afraid of who she was. Just Rey of Jakku was a Palpatine, and a survivor, a scavenger who used what she had to get by. This piece of metal told her whole story better than any other in the entire Galaxy, and who was here to tell her otherwise?

Nobody.

She flipped the hilt up into the air, then caught it again. She dug around in the toolbox beneath the table to find her arc welder, then snagged her welding goggles from their hook. She secured them snugly around her head, ensuring her eyes were fully protected, then began carving out the necessary recesses for the power cells, focusing rings, emitter assembly, and the precious kyber crystal. 

The work went smoothly. Before every cut from the arc, Rey re-measured the section of hilt against the component it would house, ensuring that there was neither too much room, nor too little. She worked from the base of the hilt, where the power cells would reside, through the midsection and its narrower opening to secure modulators and the energy gate, to the top, where the kyber would generate the light and push it through the focusing ring, to emanate as a brilliant blade.

Rey had no idea what color beam the crystal would generate, nor would she until the first time she switched on her saber. She knew it didn’t matter at all what the color was, but privately hoped for green. Green like Ajan Kloss. Like Takodana.

Like the blade of Master Luke’s handmade lightsaber had been. Then again, he’d grown up on a desert planet, too.

“Rey!” 

She turned to see Finn approaching from the direction of the command center, and smiled, switching off the arc welder and tugging off her goggles. “Hi, Finn. You looked great over there.” She nodded in the direction of the analysts. “Very official.”

Finn shook his head, chuckling under his breath. “This looks more fun.” He gestured at the workbench, lightsaber hilt, and components. “You’re working on your lightsaber again.”

Rey looked down at the bench, nodding slightly. “It’s giving me something to focus on. It’s time I finished it, really.”

“Rey, listen.” Finn’s voice lowered in volume and tone. Rey looked back up into his face and met his warm brown eyes. “We haven’t really talked for a while, and everything has changed. I know you’re hurting, and I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks, Finn.” Her voice was a whisper, barely audible around the lump in her throat that had returned at his words. It was going to be like this, she acknowledged silently. His arms went around her and she rested her chin on his shoulder, giving into the hug. “I know that this seems completely wrong, and I appreciate your sympathies.”

“Rey, I-”

“I get it, Finn. You served in the First Order, you know what he was capable of. You don’t have to make any excuse for feeling the way you do.”

“Yes. I served in the First Order.” Finn pulled away, and looked Rey straight in the eyes. “And here I am, no ties to my family, no history with the Republic or the Rebel Alliance, and I’m a general in the Resistance. If I can do this, then.. Surely it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo could succumb to the good in him.”

Rey stared dumbly into Finn’s gaze.

“I don’t like him,” Finn hastened to add, straightening his spine. “He had the reputation for being a prize blurrg when he was Snoke’s apprentice. He did despicable things to Poe. I will concede that no planets were destroyed after he became Supreme Leader, but that’s a really low threshold for decency.” He tugged on a lock of Rey’s hair. “But it’s clear that he loved you. And he gave you back to us, so.. I’m trying.”

Tears prickled at the corners of Rey’s eyes, but she managed a smile.

Finn took a deep breath. “I see you’re packed for Chandrila,” he commented. 

Finn was trying to lighten the tone of the conversation, and Rey could appreciate that. “I am, yes. I’m going to bunk on the Falcon tonight.” She made no promises about being able to sleep after the memorial. “I just need to pack up the tools to finish this lightsaber, and I will have everything I could possibly want with me while we wait for the bureaucrats to decide what to do with the Resistance.” 

“Karking politicians,” Finn muttered, and Rey agreed with him wholeheartedly. “I still need to pack my things before dinner. I’ll see you there?”

Rey smiled a little wider in reply, and dropped her goggles back over her eyes. Truth be told, she didn’t feel hungry, and she had long since trained herself not to eat unless she was hungry. If she were sick, for example, all of those precious nutrients - few as they had been, in her years on Jakku - would be wasted.

It occurred to her that she would probably be best served by retreating to the Falcon before she could be caught up in the flow of hungry technicians and mechanics headed to the canteen. Looking out through the passageway to the landing field, she could see that the sun was starting its descent toward the horizon. Time to pack it up, then.

She scooped the lightsaber components and the cotton-wrapped kyber into the pouch on her belt. She tucked the hilt down inside her satchel. She stooped to grab another bag bearing the ancient texts from under the workbench, and slung it over her shoulder. She looped the satchel holding her clothing and hilt around her other shoulder, crossing the straps in front of her. She put that arm through the loop of her staff strap, and picked up Leia’s case.

She considered the load. No worse than some of the salvage she’d hauled, she decided. If anyone asked her about it, she’d claim it was “Jedi stuff” - using the Force, if absolutely necessary.

Rey strode purposefully through the access tunnel out onto the landing field, where technicians were clearing away materials, equipment, and small craft to create a vacant space for the evening’s gathering. The few people she passed on her way to the foot of the Falcon’s landing ramp were focused enough on themselves that she passed without comment or question beyond a nod of acknowledgement. She made it onto the Falcon, thankfully, before the warble of the horn announcing the end of day duty.

She passed through the crew lounge and galley, Chewie nowhere in sight, on her way to the crew quarters. The bunk remained entirely as she had left it that morning - had it really been only that morning? The blanket that had covered her sleeping form still lay in a jumble at the foot of the bunk. The mediscan leads were still attached to the unit and dangling to the floor, not removed and stored neatly for the Falcon’s next medical emergency. 

She set the case on one of the unused bunks and unslung her satchels, and got to work. She tidied the blankets on her bunk, then removed the mediscan cables from their jacks and wrapped each one neatly in a coil for storage. She opened the hatch to the mediscan’s storage cabinet to find the two lightsabers stowed there. She breathed a sigh of thanks to whichever of her friends had put them there for safekeeping.

She picked up Luke’s saber - the Skywalker saber - and looked over every inch of the hilt, noting where the first Skywalker to wield it had joined the sections of the hilt together with neat, skillful welds. It was simply designed, unencumbered by elaborate embellishment - a sleek cylinder, with a band around the middle that was precisely textured and a set of plain black ridges to provide a sturdy grip.

Rey would have called it “utilitarian”. Master Luke’s first teacher had called it “elegant”? She supposed it could be, from a certain point of view. She set it down on the blankets on her bunk.

Master Leia’s saber, on the other hand, was a work of art. It was a union of silver and copper components, neither material overpowering the other, with fine mother-of-pearl insets adorning the handgrip.

It was the weapon of a young woman who had known fine things in her life. Rey could not remember a day in her life where she’d known the bounty of “enough”, much less finery. But it was a tangible link to a woman who was the closest thing to a parent she could remember. She would wear this saber to Leia’s memorial. She would wear it to Chandrila, to do what she could to encourage support for the Resistance Leia had given everything for. And then she would see it safe, somehow, somewhere in a Galaxy that was still very much not safe … safer, perhaps, but not yet safe.

Rey held Leia’s saber hilt to her heart briefly, letting herself think of the woman who had believed in her son until the very end, and of the son who had believed in a scavenger from the desert. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she dashed them away with Ben’s sleeve before she clipped the saber to her belt.

She opened up the personal lockers in the bulkhead next to her bunk, and stowed first the Jedi texts, then her clothing. She tucked her second pair of boots, the empty satchels, and her staff into the cargo netting beneath the bunk.

All that remained to stow was Leia’s case. Rey ran a hand over the top of the case, noting its reinforced durasteel and supple black leather frame. The leather bore a symbol, tooled in gold - the crest of Alderaan, she remembered Master Leia telling her on an afternoon that was supposed to have been a training lesson, and instead had turned to gatalenta tea and Leia’s reminiscing.

Kriff, just what did this case carry?

She heard footfalls on the deckplates outside the crew quarters - not the sound of boots on durasteel, so likely Chewie. She didn’t have the time to open the case now, she decided in an instant. She opened up the locker holding the Jedi texts and set the case gently on top of the stack.

As she closed the locker again, the quarters door hissed open to reveal Chewie, and her comlink bleeped. She gave Chewie a sigh and shrugged slightly as she pulled the comlink out of her pouch. “Rey. Go ahead.” 

“It’s Rose. You’re not at dinner.”

Rey couldn’t hold back a small smile. “No, I’m still out at the Falcon stowing my gear. I’ll just eat here.”

“I don’t think the galley got restocked today. It was pretty bare this morning.” Rose’s tone turned light, as though she were trying to entice a small child to eat its veg-meat. “They’re serving waffles.”

“I’m not really hungry, and I know where the ration bars are. I’ll be okay.” Rey tried to sound if not okay, at least more energetic. “I’ll find you on the field soon.”

“Ration bars.” Rose’s voice held a full clip of exasperation, even over the comms. “I’ll find you first. Tico out.”

Rey looked back at Chewie. [ You should eat, Rey, ] Chewie bayed softly.

“I’m really not hungry,” she replied. 

Chewie ululated loudly, ending on a sharp bark. [ I have Corellian whiskey I was to share with the Princess. I’m drinking it tonight. If you don’t eat something, you’re not getting a drop. ]

Rey stared at Chewie for a moment. “You drive a hard bargain, master Wookiee,” she grumbled.

*

When dusk fell, Rey and Chewie walked together down the landing ramp to join the members of the Resistance gathering around a small fire burning at the center of the landing field.

They were joined almost immediately by Rose, who put an arm around Rey’s waist and demanded, “Did you eat?”

“Yes,” Rey huffed, rolling her eyes. “And I didn’t even resort to kriffing ration bars.”

[ I made sure she ate, ] Chewie trilled at Rose.

Rose pointed a finger at Rey. “Good,” she said sternly.

The horn normally used for end-of-shift bleated, and Rey saw Finn standing with Poe by the fire. “Resistance, attention!” Poe ordered.

Everyone present stood straight, facing their Generals. “We will call the names of those who have fallen since last we observed this solemn obligation,” Finn called, and the assembled corps was so silent, Rey could hear him perfectly. “As names are called, those who were close to them are invited to speak, if you wish.”

“Resistance, at watch,” Poe ordered, giving the command for the assembly to take a more natural stance, but remain alert and attentive.

Then the litany began.

The first name read belonged to a technician second class. A young man Rey had seen around the canteen and health center stepped up to the front, and the firelight glimmered, revealing the tear-tracks on the young man’s face.

“Jan was my bunkmate,” he said with a slight tremble in his voice. “He loved to play practical jokes...”

And on it went, with grieving men and women standing up to give their bunkmates, colleagues, and friends what honor they could.

“... she could make the blandest tasting food in the canteen taste like it came from the Core Worlds …”

“… he would stick with something until it was done properly …”

“... he loved the most outlandish HoloNet shows …”

“... she always knew where to go to get whatever we needed …”

Everyone in the assembly was sniffling by the time Commander Antilles approached Finn and Poe.

“Temmin was my step-son,” the older man began. “He and I had a complicated relationship at times. But as I got to know him, I loved him for his ingenuity, his fierce devotion to his family, and later, his sense of duty to a Galaxy free from tyranny.” He paused. “He was an excellent pilot. It breaks my heart that I couldn’t bring him home safely this time.”

Finn placed a hand on Commander Antilles’ shoulder. Two pilots Rey recognized from Blue Squadron approached to shake the commander’s hand before telling a story from when Snap was dating Karé that had everyone chuckling through their tears. 

And then the group was silent again.

“Leia Organa,” Poe began, his voice cracking on the surname, “deserves to be remembered by not only royalty, not only the high-ranking, but by all of the good people spread across this Galaxy.” He paused to clear his throat, and Rey could read the strain in his face. “I have no doubt at all that she will be. But it is our duty and our honor to pay her first tribute.”

Rey bit her lower lip as a trembling shiver coursed through her body.

“To say that our General gave everything she had to the fight against the evil perpetrated and perpetuated by Emperor Palpatine is no figure of speech. It was widely known that she was the adopted daughter of Queen Breha Organa and Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan, the parents and homeworld she would lose to the Empire’s first Death Star. Her birth family, too, were taken from her by Palpatine’s own machinations.” Poe looked directly at Rey, then, and locked gazes. “Now that we know of the Emperor’s survival, we realize that his involvement and influence led to the loss of many friends and colleagues at Hosnian Prime, and more personally that of her husband and her son.”

Rey closed her eyes against a surge of tears. She felt Rose’s arm slide around her shoulders, and Chewie’s massive paw brush the crown of her head.

“This Resistance was established with all the personal resources she could command, be they credits, ships, or the influence she still commanded as the last princess of a destroyed planet. We are here to mourn her because even after surviving so much personal loss and fighting one war against this insidious evil, she knew that those who could fight anew, must stand against it again.”

Poe paused for a moment, turning to look into the fire. The assembled corps remained hushed, looking on as Finn rested his hand on Poe’s shoulder. “It is unfair that she should not be here to see our victory, the Galaxy’s victory, over the Sith fleet at Exegol,” Poe finally continued on with a new hoarseness in his voice, “as of all of us, she surely paid the dearest price to see it done.”

“But her fight against the First Order, against tyranny and oppression in the Galaxy, is _not_ done,” Finn raised his voice to be heard over the gathering, and the depths of his voice lent a gravity to the moment that felt binding, deep in Rey’s soul. _The Force,_ she realized suddenly. _The Force is with us._ “Though she is with us no longer to carry the torch, we must carry it in her stead. Until planets no longer live in fear of being obliterated. Until parents no longer live in fear that their children will be taken away from them. Until the Galaxy is free to live in peace, we must carry the torch.”

Without thinking, Rey unclipped Leia’s saber from her belt. She raised it over her head and activated it in one smooth movement. The blade cast its pure blue light over those nearest to her place in the assembly.

At once, Chewie roared, and the Resistance personnel around her erupted in shouts and cheers. Rey blinked back tears and smiled across the gathering at her friend, who returned it, his eyes glistening with sadness and pride.

The clamor went on for several moments. When it began to ebb, Poe raised a hand until all had settled back into quiet attention. Rey thumbed off the saber, and clipped it back to her belt. “I know that everyone on this base has a Leia story to share. I will gladly stay here and listen to every person who wants to speak. For those personnel who are on mission tomorrow morning, however, I declare the official gathering ended. Those who wish to stay and share, please do so.”

Very few people left; furthermore, now that the official ceremonies were complete, people were at liberty to settle into a more casual attitude. Across the crowd, people found their partners or friends and embraced, sharing comfort and support. Many people chose to sit down on the field or lean on whatever ship they found themselves near. 

Chewie wrapped an arm around Rey and Rose’s shoulders, and the three of them stood together arm in arm as Dr. Kalonia approached Poe and Finn at the front to speak about her patient and friend across the decades.

*

“The first time I remember meeting Leia Organa, I was five, and she was bigger than life.” Finn had found a crate and sat down on it, and Poe had sat down on the ground, leaning against the crate’s side, as though needing that support before beginning his own tale. The stars had long since come out, and the firelight strengthened the feeling of closeness among the group that remained.

Poe was looking up at the sky as he spoke. “She had come to visit my mother at our home in the Yavin colony, she and her son - he was still just a little one then.” Rey’s spine straightened, and she gathered her wandering thoughts. “They weren’t with us for long; she and my mom spent lots of time sitting out by the uneti tree, and I wasn’t allowed out with them - grown-up talk, they said. But I remember her ruffling my hair and calling me ‘little pilot’. Even then, I would have followed her anywhere.”

Rey felt a wave of longing wash over her. What was Ben like as a tiny child? Did he toddle around, laughing and smiling like she saw him laugh and smile in their one happy moment on Exegol? Or was he silent and solemn, already under assault by a man obsessed with the Skywalker power? The idea of tiny Ben suffering the lies and vitriol of the Emperor broke her heart anew, and filled her with rage.

She needed to kick something, or break something, or scream - preferably without an audience. She got up on feet suddenly full of pins and needles, and stumbled over to the Falcon. She clomped up the landing ramp and down the corridors until she was deep into the engineering section of the ship, and fairly sure she could scream and yell her fill without attracting attention.

She closed the door behind her, just in case. She crossed the deck to the far bulkhead with every intention to bang her fists against it, or a spanner, whatever she could reach. Instead, the moment her hand connected with the durasteel, she began to sob.

For in that moment, when the idea of tiny Ben already dealing with the Emperor’s iniquity came to mind, she could see it, as clear as she had foreseen him standing beside her awash in the glow of his mother’s lightsaber: a precious child with a shock of riotous black curls and his mother’s warm brown eyes, his little eyebrows drawing together, a smile fading from his face.

_Kark. Kark his wrinkled hide and his poisoned soul. Kark him to all the hells in all the Galaxies!_

“Kark who to all the hells, Rey?” Rose’s voice was soft next to her, and Rose’s arms circled her shoulders tightly.

“The Emperor,” Rey choked out around the asteroid in her throat. She rested her forehead against Rose’s shoulder and wept for that tiny, confused boy, and the man who had died in her arms, finally free.

She would have taken his hand and gone with him anywhere, and it was no less true the first time she’d asked him aboard the Supremacy as it was now. He had been half her soul, she had known it the moment she’d had that vision of him turning to the light. Now he was gone, leaving her to what?

She had thought, wrongly, that she’d cried out all her tears earlier. Now she thought she might never stop.

Rose ran a comforting hand up and down her arm. “Oh, honey,” she murmured. “It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be angry. You’re going to be both for a while. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay. He came back for me. _He came back for me, and then he died,_ ” Rey keened.

“It’s not fair,” Rose said hoarsely. “It’s not fair, Rey. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, honey.”

Rey didn’t know how long she sat on the deckplates with Rose rocking her and murmuring softly. When she was finally able to draw a full, shuddering breath and take in her surroundings, Finn was standing in the doorway, a frown on his handsome face.

“Let’s get some water,” he offered quietly. “Chewie’s opened up the flammables locker, and I know I want some after this evening.” He held out a hand, and Rey took it, rising awkwardly to her feet. He gave her a quick, strong hug.

Rose and Finn walked her back to the crew lounge, where Chewie and Poe talked quietly over the bottles of liquor set out on the countertop. Chewie held an arm out to Rey, and she walked right up next to him, leaning into his side.

[ Water first, then whiskey, ] Chewie instructed, filling a tumbler from the cupboard. He held it out to Rey, who drank the entire glass down in two swallows.

The group settled around the dejarik table, and Chewie poured generous helpings of whiskey into the elegantly curved glassware meant for strong combustibles in mixed company. Rey almost wished he’d poured a healthy dose straight into the tumbler.

Each person reached for a glass, and Poe raised his toward the ceiling. “To our absent friends,” he said solemnly.

“ _All_ of them,” Finn added, looking to Rey and nodding. Before she could succumb to another bout of tears, she lifted the glass to her lips and drank.

Rey did not enjoy whiskey; the consumption of alcohol went against every impulse she’d developed as an inhabitant of a desert planet dependent only on herself for her survival. Even after she had come to the Resistance and did not have the concerns of dehydration to think of on a daily basis, she had found the bite of the alcohol and the weird taste not to her liking. But she reminded herself that she was safe among friends, and she decided that to not finish the portion that was poured for her in remembering their lost compatriots would be disrespectful, somehow. By the third or fourth sip, she wasn’t minding the flavors as much.

[ I remember that time, Poe, ] Chewie offered after the first mouthfuls were drunk in silence. [ The Princess was livid with Han. ]

Poe’s eyes widened at Chewie’s words.

Chewie, for his part, drank some more whiskey and continued the story. [ Han had a … tendency to run off on some mission or other if he so much as thought it might be his responsibility. Or his fault. ] Chewie paused for a moment while he added more of the whiskey to everyone’s glasses. [ He did it when the Princess was carrying the little cub, and she had dealt with it. When he and I left to chase down Fyzen Gor, she was tired and angry. ]

“Tired and angry?” Poe asked.

[ Little Cub wasn’t sleeping, ] Chewie elaborated. [ Han would take him out in the Falcon; sometimes the sounds of hyperspace would put him to sleep. When Han would leave, and the cub couldn’t sleep and would cry for him, the Princess had a hard time of it. ] 

Rey drank down the measure of whiskey in her glass, and pushed it over to Chewie for a refill.

Chewie whuffed quietly at Rey, but poured her another helping of whiskey. [ The Princess herself was trying to decide whether to return to the Galactic Senate. The Alderaanians wanted her to represent them in the Senate, and every time she thought she might, Han would up and go fight some battle. She felt obligated to her people, but she had Little Cub to think of. ]

Rey’s heart ached for Leia, not much older than she herself was now, feeling alone with an inconsolable baby and the weight of worlds on her shoulders. Poe asked more questions, but Rey didn’t hear the words. She thought of her mentor, her teacher, and the burdens she carried for so long, and marveled privately at her endurance.

Rey lifted her glass to her lips, and the pressure made her think of kissing Ben. She hadn’t kissed anyone like that before, but it had been nice. Really nice, she thought. He had really nice lips. Once they figured it out, it was a REALLY nice kiss.

Finn chuckled under his breath. “Uh, Rey?” She looked over at him. “We don’t need to hear how Ben kissed.”

Rey stiffened. “I didn’t say anything!”

Finn’s face grew concerned. “Maybe you’ve had enough whiskey,” he suggested gently.

Rey gave a flustered sigh. “I don’t need this right now,” she said, irritation flooding her tone. “I think I need to be alone. I’m gonna go topside.” She pushed up from the table, standing for a moment before she pushed past Rose, muttering apologies under her breath.

“That might not be a good idea in your -” Poe began, but Rey whirled around to face him, fire in her eyes.

“Have you ever crawled around in the innards of a Star Destroyer?” Rey interrupted, her anger keeping her upright and laser-focused. “I have. I assure you I have fallen much further than that“ - she pointed a finger at the ceiling - “and been Just. Fine.” Before another person could so much as breathe, she stormed off toward the topside access hatch. She carefully climbed the rungs of the access ladder, and tugged at the release wheel for several moments before it gave way.

As she climbed through the hatch and sat down on the first level section of hull plating she encountered, she admitted she was probably inebriated, but that she had karking earned it. She could have lived a lifetime on the light in Ben’s eyes and the sweetness of his smile, but they had been taken from her, in the same moment as she had discovered them.

But … if she could hear the voices of the Jedi from ages past on Exegol, maybe she could still hear Ben’s voice, the velvet and the sharpness that had both made her heart race. She lifted her face to the sky, gazed upon the twinkling points of light in the inky blackness, and focused only upon the breath entering her lungs, leaving her body.

She breathed in past the gaping void in her very self, and exhaled her plea into the Force, out towards the stars.

_Ben Solo. The other half of the dyad, the other half of my soul. Be with me._

Inhale slowly. Somewhere in that sky was Chandrila, his homeworld. Exhale.

Inhale. _Be with me. Please._ Exhale.

Inhale. She remembered his outstretched hand on the Supremacy, the way his voice wobbled just a hint over the word “please”. Exhale.

Inhale. She thought of the constant strength and vigilance she’d had to endure for fourteen years alone on Jakku. She thought of being strong for the rest of her life with a wounded soul, and let tears well up and fall from her eyes, unchecked. _Will you too ask this of me, Ben Solo?_

She exhaled loudly and closed her eyes, feeling bereft and exhausted. Tomorrow was not going to be pleasant, and that was if their travel went smoothly. But she was tired enough that getting sleep was not going to be a problem.

She felt something brush her hand. It didn’t feel like the wind, but there was little that could find her up here. She opened her eyes to look, and wondered if she was seeing things.

Perched on her hand, glimmering in the lights of the landing field so that its iridescent sheen seemed to glow, was a blue butterfly.


	4. They've Summoned Up a Thundercloud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes: Hi hello! Another long chapter for you this update. Alas, one more (short) stop on the pain train - take good care of yourselves, and I promise this trade route is heading to sunnier destinations soon.
> 
> Wing-dip salutes to Beta Squadron, whose kind concrit makes all my work better: HighLadySolo, greyskygirl, Ralkana, VickIsNotHome, and Mr. bluelineblues. All remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
> The moodboard on this chapter is the work of the talented fettuccine alfreylo as part of her donation drive for the Minnesota Freedom Fund! Thank you for being an awesome human!

The loud grumbling woke Rey up. She opened her eyes to the light, and they felt exactly like she’d dived face first into the sands of Jakku with her eyes wide open and unprotected. Her head pounded a steady rhythm of discomfort at her temples. Her mouth felt like the saltpack of the Crait surface.

“Eurgh.”

Chewie began to gesticulate in the air as he growled and grouched at her. [ Out of the bunk, cub. Hit the ‘fresher. Gears up in twenty. ]

For the briefest moment, Rey simmered with irritation over Chewie’s intimation that she was just a child. But her head continued to throb, and she conceded silently that she had overdone the night before. It had been nice, for just a little while, to not manage her feelings or her mouth.

“Thank you, Chewie,” Rey said softly. She swung her legs out of the bunk, and dragged herself up to sitting, and was greeted with an unpleasant queasy feeling.

[ Do NOT empty your stomach on my deckplates, ] Chewie added grumpily as he retreated from the doorway.

“All right,” Rey murmured under her breath. She braced herself, setting her hands down on the edge of the bunk and getting to her feet slowly and steadily. Once to her feet, she paused, waiting for that odd, uneven feeling to fade once more before taking deliberate, measured steps down to the ‘fresher cubicle.

The cool spray of water over her sleep-heated frame helped relieve the discomfort in her eyes and the lethargy in her extremities. She rinsed out her mouth, and felt more lively in general, able to restore her clothing and hair to some semblance of order. She began fixing her usual updo, only to discover that her head absolutely refused even the first gather and twist, thumping angrily. So she brushed her hair back out, and gathered it together into a simple, loose tail.

She wandered back down the corridor to the crew lounge. Sitting on the bar was a mug of caf and a plate bearing a handful of small pieces of fried … something. Rey picked one up from the plate, sniffed it, and took an experimental bite. The substance inside proved to be nerf meat.

Eh. Actual meat was far, far better than veg-meat. She ate the rest of the morsels on the plate, washing them down with caf. She wasn’t sure if it was the caf, the fried nerf, or a combination of both, but by the time the plate was clean she felt decidedly more human.

Unsure how much of her twenty minutes’ grace still remained, Rey stowed the plate and mug in the autowash, then headed for the cockpit. As she entered the compartment, she could see the Cloudshape Falls rising from the landing field before them, activating their sublight engines, and rising into the atmosphere.

[ Strap in, ] Chewie bayed, as he activated the ‘Falcon’s main thrusters, the ship lifting smoothly from the ground. Rey sat down quickly in the co-pilot’s seat, doing as she was told.

For the next several minutes, Rey closed her eyes, focusing on her body’s reaction to the burdens of acceleration and increased gravity as the ship traveled through Ajan Kloss’s humid atmosphere. She could sense when the brilliant blue sky gave way to the deep black of interstellar space, because the ship slowed, coming to a stop so that the navicomp could perform its precise calculations.

She opened her eyes. Chewie had pulled the Falcon up to the starboard side of the Falls, and was tapping the navicomp inputs into the dash. 

[ I should make you take the jump to hyper in the ‘fresher, ] Chewie rumbled softly.

“Do I have you to thank for not sleeping on the hull?” Rey asked, turning her head to look over at Chewie’s face.

He was staring at the dash display, as if willing it silently to finish the navicomp calculations. [ Finn handed you back down from topside. ]

Rey couldn’t remember any of it, after climbing up the ladder to the hatch. She opened her mouth to apologize when the ship-to-ship comms crackled to life.

“Falls to Falcon.” Poe’s voice echoed from the speaker. “Course calculated, with a nominal travel time of ten hours.”

[ Falls, Falcon, ] Chewie ululated. As he responded to the call, the display lit up with the route the navicomp had calculated for the journey. [ Course calculated, ten hours, confirmed. ]

“Acquire visual contact at each drop-out. See you at Vuchelle. Dameron out.”

As Rey watched, the VCX-100 made the transition to hyperspace, blinking out in front of them.

[ Do I need to send you to the ‘fresher? ] Chewie grumbled.

“No,” Rey replied, working hard to keep her tone even, if faintly apologetic. “I’m feeling a great deal better. Thank you for the breakfast, and for your help last night.”

Chewie just nodded, and thumbed the activator for the hyperdrive. The stars in the viewer stretched to lines around them, and Rey’s stomach wobbled for a moment, but kept her breakfast seated firmly.

The silence stretched uncomfortably, like the stars around them, and Rey knew she needed to say something to account for it. “Chewie, I don’t remember much from last night but I know I must have acted like a wild blurrg. I’m terribly sorry.”

[ You said quite a bit, ] he answered her, his voice trilling upwards. [ Things you would never speak of before. It would be rude to discuss them. ]

“Chewie, ‘rude’ is drinking so much that you lose your faculties, and expecting your friends to take care of you. I think you have earned an answer or an explanation at the very leas-”

[ Did you love him? ]

Rey sat back in the seat, stunned into silence for several seconds. Had she said as much, or implied it, while she was impaired?

“Kriff. Did I say that?”

[ Irrelevant, ] Chewie responded harshly, followed by a flurry of snapping, insistent whuffs. [ Did. You. Love. Him. ]

Rey had never heard Chewie speak like that - as though the words were torn from him, bleeding, one at a time.

“I don’t have any memory of loving, of being loved.” She held his gaze and spoke truths she had never in her recollection spoken aloud. “The oldest memory I have is that of my mother telling me to be a good girl, that she loved me, but the next moment she flew away on a junk ship, and I never saw her again. The two people I had the misfortune to trust after that, to tell me the truth, to share a common goal with, double crossed me and flew away instead of holding up their end of our agreement.” 

Rey turned away then, facing the cockpit window, and drew her knees up to her chest. “Even to most people in the Resistance, I was the token Jedi. Go here, do this, do that, go there. As my skill with the Force evolved, precious few people stopped to discover the person I was, the person I was becoming. They didn’t look past the clothes and the weapons.” She rested her chin on her knees. “Ben saw everything. He saw the isolation, he saw the light and the darkness, and he didn’t panic like Luke or Poe or even Finn. He held out his hand to me, asked me to be by his side. The first true belonging I remember feeling, and I had to walk away from it.”

Rey lifted her face to the cockpit viewports, watching the stars streak past. Her eyes were wet, again. This grief for everything that might have been - this was her true self, and it mattered not at all that it would have made her a poor Jedi, or disloyal to the Resistance or Poe or Han’s memory.

“He came to Exegol to stand with me, and for the first time I could remember in my life, I felt real joy. For the first time in my life I could see a future that wasn’t full of pain. If that’s love, then yes, I loved him.”

Before Chewie could reply, the status indicator on the hyperdrive began to flash and buzz, indicating the imminent drop out of lightspeed. The hop between Ajan Kloss and the nearest spacelane was the shortest of any voyage, she reminded herself, refreshing her memory of the co-pilot’s controls as Chewie placed his paws on the Falcon’s yoke.

The hyperdrive cut out, and the hum of the deceleration compensators kicked in. Ahead and to port, she could make out the lights of the Cloudshape Falls, and much further out to avoid her strong gravity well, the cloudy orange planet Vuchelle.

Rey checked the scanner. “Nearspace scan clear,” she reported, her voice steady.

A single chime alerted the receipt of a data-burst transmission. [ Visual contact confirmed. Continue cruising in Conflict-Yellow, ] Chewie read from the main display.

“Conflict-Yellow, confirm,” Rey replied. Conflict-Yellow meant that the mission was low-risk, that Poe didn’t think it was likely their two ships would encounter any First Order patrols during their few drops into realspace. She wasn’t entirely sure she agreed with his assessment, but there was nothing stopping her from passing future realspace drops in the laser cannon turret. Just in case.

[ Changing heading to two seventy, ] Chewie rumbled, as he turned the yoke to follow the Falls into the trajectory for their next hyperspace jump.

“Two seventy, confirm,” Rey mumbled automatically, keeping her eye on the indicator light that would turn green when the Falcon had achieved the proper heading for the Braxant Run. All was silent in the cockpit as Chewie focused on the viewport and Rey focused on the indicator. 

The data display brightened with another incoming burst transmission, drawing Rey’s eyes away from the indicator light. TRAJECTORY ACHIEVED. SMOOTH FLIGHT. Then movement out the viewport caught both their eyes, and the Cloudshape Falls blinked out of realspace. 

The astrogation indicator light glowed green.

“Ready for hyper,” Rey reported, breathing deeply and squaring her shoulders.

Chewie thumbed the toggle, and the stars stretched out around them as the Falcon entered hyperspace.

Rey watched the lines pass around them as the ship began its transit of the Braxant Run. The cockpit was quiet save the soothing hum of hyperspeed for several minutes, until Chewie gave a soft, high pitched trill.

[ I loved him too, Rey.]

Rey turned her head sharply, and took in the sight of Chewbacca, a mountain of a Wookiee, staring forlornly out of the viewport, his eyes gleaming.

[ He was a quiet, serious cub. When he got old enough to express himself, he was confused. Angry. ] Chewie shook his head, shaggy fur flying around his face. [ I didn’t think sending him to a monastery would help. But the Princess believed in Luke. Han believed in the Princess. And I owed Han a Life Debt - which extended to the Princess, and the cub. ]

Chewie loosed a stream of pain-filled howls at the ceiling. [ The Princess told Han to bring the cub home. Han was blocking my shot. I couldn’t stop the cub without killing him, and then Han was gone. ]

“I saw Ben’s scar from your bowcaster bolt. You couldn’t end his life, but you could make it hurt.”

Chewie gave a plaintive bleat. [ It wasn’t enough. ]

Rey unclasped the buckle of the co-pilot’s restraints, then climbed out of the seat to put her arms around Chewie’s huge shoulders the best she could. “They all deserved better,” she murmured, leaning her head against Chewie’s. Her voice cracked over the words, but neither of them mentioned it.

After a few moments of quiet, the only sound the hum of hyper, Rey cleared her throat and straightened her spine and shoulders. “I’m going to go get some water, and then I’ll come forward to take watch,” she said with quiet determination. “You did all the work getting her ready to fly this morning; you should take a break.”

Chewie bayed his assent.

Rey headed aft, walking through the lounge on her way to the crew quarters first. She took out one of her empty satchels, then removed Leia’s case from the locker, sliding it into the bag before looping it over her shoulder. On her way back through the lounge, she grabbed a hydration pack, filling it with water from the galley. She sipped at it idly as she returned to the cockpit.

“Ready for watch,” she announced. She slid into the co-pilot’s seat, and settled the satchel down on the floor next to her. She smiled as she watched Chewie release the restraints, rise from the pilot’s seat, and rest a paw on her head, ruffling her hair slightly.

In the end, the voyage to Chandrila turned out to be uneventful.

Rey spent the first two realspace drops in the laser cannon turret. She figured that if any of the planets along their route would draw the special attention of the First Order, it would be Garqi, source of a good many agricultural products - militaries moved on their stomachs, the master of the Tantive’s galley had once said with a laugh, and the First Order was surely no different.. Borosk and Ord Mantell in their times had also seen their shares of Imperial personnel and materiel, and could have been a source of trouble, but none arose. 

By the time they reached the last realspace drop at Coruscant, Rey was back in the co-pilot’s seat, handling the realspace piloting while Chewie snooped intently on the wide-beam comm channels. In passive receiver mode, the comms might just pick up any stray communications, provided the Falcon was in the right place at the right time.

As the astrogation indicator glowed green and Rey toggled the hyperdrive, Chewie removed the headset and tossed it onto the dash. He was smiling, teeth bared.

“Anything good?”

[ Chaos, ] Chewie replied in one brisk bark.

“Long live the Resistance, wherever she may rise,” Rey breathed, and Chewie bayed in fervent agreement.

They sat in an easy, comfortable silence for a few moments. [ Going to get ready for Chandrila, ] Chewie said slowly, getting up from the pilot’s seat. [ Back soon. ]

Rey watched Chewie disappear down the corridor towards the lounge and crew quarters. Her thoughts turned toward the case, sitting in the satchel by her feet. She knew that whatever awaited them on Chandrila, she should face it with as much information as was possible. 

The case could no longer be left for later.

Rey eased the case out of her satchel, settling it onto her lap. She laid her hand gently against the biosignature reader and felt a slight pulse of energy wash over her hand and forearm.

She sensed the latch releasing within the case. With slow, steady movements, she drew the case open. 

Lying inside, atop of a sheaf of papers, was a credit chip and a small box bearing the same emblem as the case. Rey took the small box in hand and opened it, discovering a delicately-worked ring of onyx, bearing the engraved crest of Alderaan inlaid with shining gold.

She exhaled audibly. Closing the box and setting it back in the case, she found another folded, sealed paper bearing her name.

> Rey,
> 
> There is a task that I must ask you to undertake. I feel certain, knowing what I do of you, that you will agree to it. Indeed, you may be the only person in the Galaxy who can succeed at the attempt.
> 
> I have given the great majority of my own assets to fund the Resistance against the First Order. I do not regret it for a moment. Someone needed to stand against them, and I had some experience with this particular work.
> 
> At this time, the only assets remaining in my possession are my personal apartments in Hanna City on Chandrila, and the ring given to me by my parents at my ascension to adulthood, not long before the Empire destroyed Alderaan. The other trappings of royalty that survived the cataclysm have long since been stolen, and have disappeared from history.
> 
> At my passing, my son becomes the last living descendant of House Organa. Ownership of the apartments and the ring will pass to him. I could attempt to have these items sent to him, but there would be no guarantee of him accepting them - or, indeed, any guarantee of such a delivery reaching him at all.
> 
> For some reason, the fact of my son’s identity has never come to be common knowledge. I expected it to be used against me politically, as my birth father’s was, but that did not come to pass. Your vision of him rekindled my hope, Rey - my belief that my little boy might still find his way home. 
> 
> Even after everything, I know you believed it once; I am asking you to believe it again, for me. If Luke could feel Anakin’s Light, then surely I am not imagining the Light I sense in my son. You sensed it too.
> 
> Please, Rey. Bring him home. Use the enclosed credit chip for whatever expense is necessary to see it done.
> 
> If that which I have dreaded lo these many years should come to pass, and my son should not survive me, I ask that you travel to Alderaan Station, where my people have made a new home for themselves, and return to them the Crest of Alderaan. My home on Chandrila, I entrust to you - do with it as you see fit, in choosing your own path in the Galaxy.
> 
> This document under my hand and seal bears the force of law, and should be construed as the final disposition of
> 
> _Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_

It was too much. Rey slid the letter back into the case and snapped it closed. Drawing a shuddering breath, she vowed silently that she would handle this private business of Leia’s after they were done on Chandrila.

Footsteps on the deckplates behind her startled her from her contemplation, and she tucked the case back into her satchel as Chewie sat back down in the pilot’s seat. She looked over at him, his fur groomed until it was neat and glossy, and nodded. “You look quite ready to meet a planetary delegation.”

[ Your turn, ] Chewie rumbled.

Rey unbuckled from the co-pilot seat and swung her satchel back over her shoulder before heading for the crew quarters. She returned Leia’s diplomatic case to her locker, and took out her white training clothes. She stared at the fabric in her hands for several moments before she shook her head, trying to clear it.

She stepped into the ‘fresher cubicle. Setting aside her fresh clothes, she unstrapped her belt, letting the leather strips and its various pockets fall to the floor. She unwound the gauze drapes from over her shoulders, and laid them on the counter. As she drew back, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored surface of the cubicle wall.

A few locks of hair had escaped their tail over the course of the last ten hours. Her eyes looked tired again, shadows starting to creep into the delicate skin beneath them. The rent in the tunic caught her eye, and she lifted a hand to cover it, her eyes tracking the movement.

Hot, angry feelings bubbled up in her chest. Part of her wanted to wear this tunic before the congress, as if to say “Look! Look at what price has been paid for your victory!” in the only language she could and still keep her composure. At the same time, these people had done nothing to earn any bit of Ben, either while he was alive or now, of his memory. These people had done nothing to try to save the children stolen away to fill the stormtrooper creches, or to save the families on Hays Minor, or to save the planets of Hosnian Prime and Kajimi and so many other worlds.

It had been Leia’s effort, and all of her inheritance and influence as the last princess of Alderaan.

Rey knew that this anger would not serve herself or the Resistance any useful purpose today. She sighed, peeling off the remainder of her garments, before stepping into the ‘fresher for the coldest shower she could bear to help clear her mind.

It helped some. She pulled on her training whites methodically, securing the sashes and undertunic with her belt. She ran a brush through her hair, and stared at herself in the mirror. Rey of not even two standard weeks ago would have pulled her hair up into the three bun hairstyle that her mother had fixed in her hair the day she had been left on Jakku, in hopes that her parents might have seen whatever coverage of the congress and spared a thought for their wayward daughter.

Knowing that her parents were not somewhere out in the Galaxy freed her, in a way, from being that tiny girl stranded on Jakku any longer. If she’d had the skill, she might have twisted her hair up into one of Leia’s braids to honor her. Instead, she pulled the hair from the crown of her head together into a tie, letting the rest fall past her shoulders.

She heard the hyperspace dropout warning alert, and tossed the brush onto the counter, heading back to the cockpit. 

The Falcon dropped out of hyperspace pointed at a planet covered in soothing blues and grounding greens and browns. Rey gazed at the world, looking quiet and peaceful from the distance of high planetary orbit.

[ Han’s cub was born here, ] Chewie trilled softly.

Rey closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, her heart seeking the bond that had always, always been there, long before she knew of Ben, of the Force, of anything other than her hardscrabble existence on Jakku.

Her only answer was the dull thumping of her heartbeat in her chest. She sank down onto the copilot seat, another wave of sadness washing over her.

“Chandrila Orbital Control to Resistance freighter forty-seven twenty-seven twenty-seven Zerek. Millennium Falcon, welcome home,” crackled the sublight comms.

Rey swallowed around the tightness in her throat, looking over at Chewie. He hit the open channel toggle. [ Orbital Control, this is the Falcon, requesting permission to land, ] Chewie bayed.

“Control to Falcon. Permission granted to land at Hanna City Spaceport, docking platform Aurek twenty-three.”

[ Aurek twenty-three, confirmed. ]

Rey called up the spaceport beacon code and fed it into the navicomputer. After a few moments, the beacon popped up on the nav display. Chewie reached towards the autopilot. “I’ll fly her in, if it’s all right with you,” Rey said, her voice raspy. Chewie nodded, and reached out a paw to ruffle her hair.

Rey activated the thrusters and gently adjusted the yoke to put the Falcon into the proper approach attitude for Hanna City. “Engaging sublights, two hundred klicks per second,” Rey recited as she triggered a marginal power increase to the sublight engines, beginning the Falcon’s descent towards the planet’s surface.

Her eyes darted between the velocimeter and gyro readouts, making sure the Falcon didn’t fall too far, too fast, or at the wrong angle, as the planet’s gravity increased its pull on the freighter. She smoothly rotated the craft into a belly-first orientation, and adjusted engines and thrusters as Chandrila itself pulled them towards Hanna City.

“Orbital Control to Falcon. Flight control handoff to Hanna City Airspace Control.”

“This is Hanna City Airspace Control, handoff confirmed. Good morning, forty-seven twenty-seven twenty-seven Zerek. You are on course and speed for touchdown on platform Aurek twenty-three.”

“Falcon to Hanna City, confirmed, Aurek twenty-three. See you on the ground.” 

From the air, Hanna City Spaceport looked like a crown of flowers. Clusters of five circular landing platforms were connected by a small central dome, then connected to the whole by a large ring. Elegant design for a capital city spaceport, Rey thought, as the Falcon drew near enough to the spaceport that her eyes might notice the petal platform marked aurek-23.

The automated spaceport beacon changed its target focus, and encircled their landing platform in glowing blue on the data display. Rey gently tapped the yoke to make the slight attitude adjustment, and used the sublight thrusters to slow the ship and land it gently on the landing platform.

[ Nice landing, cub, ] Chewie rumbled.

“Thanks, Chewie,” Rey said softly. They shared the work of putting the Falcon’s propulsion and life-support systems into stand-by and securing all systems while she was docked. Once the ship was safely on stand-by, Rey followed Chewie out of the cockpit, through the crew lounge, and to the landing ramp, where a pair of officials waited.

“Millennium Falcon,” the small human woman read off the datapad in her hands. “Owner listed as Chewbacca of Kashyyyk.”

Chewie bleated his agreement.

“Welcome, master Wookiee. Do you have your identicard? Do you have any cargo to declare?”

[ No cargo.] Chewie took his identicard out of one of the pouches on his bandolier and passed it to the customs officer. [ Passengers only - myself, and the co-pilot for this voyage, Rey. ] Chewie lifted a paw in Rey’s direction.

“Name?” the officer asked Rey brusquely.

“Rey of Jakku.”

“Identicard?”

“I don’t have one.” She might have had one as a small child on whatever world she was born on, maybe, but it was irrelevant. Whatever data it might have shared about her was lost with her parents, and it was not as though Unkar Plutt governed a technologically-advanced, civil society on Jakku.

“If you’re going to be traveling through the Core Worlds, you have to have an identicard-”

Rey lifted a finger. “I don’t need an identicard,” she murmured.

“You don’t need an identicard,” the officer chorused agreeably.

“I’ll just get one before my next trip,” Rey continued.

“Get one before your next trip,” the officer nodded. 

“We’re clear,” Rey finished, with a slight smile.

The human officer waved to the Twi’lek officer inspecting the ship, and said loudly, “They’re clear!”

The Twi’lek officer nodded, returning to her side. Both officers endorsed the datapad, then the human officer nodded. “Everything is in order. Please enjoy your visit.”

Rey and Chewbacca moved to follow the officers into the central dome, but Chewie hung back. [ Interesting transaction, ] Chewie whuffed quietly. [ Does that happen often? ]

Rey frowned. “Only when faced with useless bureaucracy,” she muttered, and Chewie barked a laugh.

She looked up into the sky. During their descent, Airspace Control had said it was morning, and the sun was burning brightly as it crawled upward toward its zenith. Rey huffed out a sigh. “It’s going to be a long day,” she grumbled as she followed Chewie into the dome. 

[ Sooner you’re summoned, sooner it’s done, ] Chewie trilled at her over his shoulder.

“Yes, I know. I know.”

Once inside the dome, they stepped onto an automated transport system which traveled around the spaceport’s main ring, speeding passengers along to the central terminal. Spacious and full of light, the large domed building filled Rey with awe. She had been to a few planets now in service to the Resistance, but this one was the first that seemed to exemplify the promise of a Galaxy at peace. As the transport slowed to a stop inside the terminal, Rey looked at the graceful curving durasteel seams supporting huge expanses of transparisteel windows, and thought, _I’m a long way from Jakku_.

She followed Chewie off the transport, to a waiting area appointed with benches and potted greenery. [ I don’t see the others, ] Chewie grumbled, looking around the dome.

Rey pulled her comlink out of the pouch on her belt, and entered Rose’s comm-code. “Tico,” came the reply.

“It’s Rey. Are you on-planet yet?”

“Yes. Still at the ship. Bureaucracy makes the Galaxy go ‘round.” 

So they were still dealing with their customs officers, then. “Chewie and I are at the central terminal.”

“See you soon, I hope.” Rose’s voice growled over the last word, and Rey had to choke back a chuckle. “Tico out.”

Rey’s eyes darted to meet Chewie’s, and they shared a nod. Practically of their own accord, Rey’s feet carried her over to the nearest window, and Rey looked out into the heart of Hanna City.

So this was civilization - spired buildings rising into the sky, streets teeming with life, representatives from so many species and planets. This was what backwaters like Jakku were supposed to aspire to. 

It would have been nice to have had some options apart from extreme privation and de facto servitude, growing up. And yet, her parents didn’t leave her on a Core World, where someone might have been able to trace who she was and where she had come from. They must have thought she was safer with the privation and servitude.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

Another transport arrived. The moment the doors hissed apart, she could hear Poe speaking loudly. Rey shot Chewie one more side glance, then moved to join the Resistance group.

 _Sooner you’re summoned, sooner it’s done_ , Rey repeated to herself. _Tread carefully_.

“You look better than I expected,” Rose called as Rey and Chewie approached.

“I’m pretty sure a half-eaten nerf would look better than you expected me to today,” Rey retorted.

Rose chuckled. “You’re not wrong.” Rose looped her arm around Rey’s, and began speaking quietly in her ear. “The congress is sending a transport - discreet transport - to pick us up. We’ll travel directly to the Senate house to report on the battle and the status of the Resistance forces.” Rey nodded silently as the group passed through the front doors of the terminal, where a large hovertaxi waited. “They’re assigning us diplomatic quarters on Embassy Row while we’re here, so that the Generals can be close to the congress.” Rey looked over at Rose - the smaller woman’s face radiated displeasure. “It better not be Canto Bight all over again.”

Rey squeezed Rose’s arm in solidarity. “Let’s hope not.”

***

The Resistance delegation met a willowy Muun dressed in fine green robes who introduced themself as their congressional liaison. As the liaison led them through the grand reception halls into a warren of hallways, Rey mused over the difference between the grand, spacious architecture of the spaceport and the reception halls, public spaces, and this unremarkable, plain corridor with its doors evenly spaced to either side.

Their liaison stopped before a door and placed their hand over the bioscanner. The group stood silent for several moments before the scanner flashed green and the door swung open. The liaison gestured for the Resistance officers to follow, then walked through the door.

The group entered a room much smaller than the reception halls. A curved high bench stood at the front of the room, with seven lifeforms seated behind it. A large table with two plush chairs sat before the bench, and a gallery of benches sat in the back of the room.

“Your Excellencies,” their liaison intoned slowly, “I present to you the delegation from the Resistance armed forces. Generals Poe Dameron and Finn, commanding.” With a sweeping gesture, the Muun gestured from Poe and Finn to the two chairs at the table. Once the generals reached their seats, the Muun turned to the rest of the group and gestured to the bench closest to the table, then took a seat on the bench across the aisle.

Rey seated herself on the bench next to Rose, and murmured, “the future of the whole Galaxy is going to be decided by seven people?”

“This isn’t the whole congress,” Rose hissed softly. “It can’t be.”

The human woman in the center position on the bench lifted a smooth, polished stone, then knocked it loudly on the bench. “I call the Security Committee of the Reconstruction Congress from recess to order,” she announced. “My name is Lieda Mothma, representative of Chandrila, and chair of this committee.” 

Mothma’s further words were drowned out by Rose’s barely-audible commentary. “They brought us all the way to Chandrila so we could report to a committee?” she grumbled. “We could have done that over holocomms and saved ourselves the fuel.” 

Rey nodded slightly in agreement. “Surely they could have arranged a secure holoterminal somehow,” she muttered in reply.

“This committee calls upon the General of the Resistance forces to report on the incident at planet Exegol,” Mothma announced with authority. 

Poe stood up, tugged on the front of his shirt to straighten it, and arranged the flimsies containing his notes on the table.

“My name is Poe Dameron, former leader of Rapier Squadron, New Republic Defense Fleet and Black Squadron of the Resistance fleet. I was appointed by General Leia Organa to be General of the Resistance some days before the engagement at Exegol on which I am here to report. Several Resistance officers have traveled to assist me in providing all of the information this congress may require. I would like to introduce them to you before we begin. General Finn led our ground forces at Exegol…”

Rey watched Finn stand at his seat and nod to the committee, his posture perfect, his gaze calm. She was awed in this moment - her first friend, being recognized as a leader of the Resistance. He’d come so far from the First Order rank-and-file. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about it, but she hoped he was happy in his new situation. He looked content, and that gave her a small bit of happiness.

Rose elbowed her in the shoulder. “Get up,” Rose muttered from the side of her mouth. Rey realized she’d lost the thread, again. She rose to her feet, and tried to pay attention to Poe’s words.

“... declined rank in the Resistance, but during her time attached to the Resistance forces has performed dedicated service to the Galaxy on a number of critical occasions, including in battle at Exegol.”

 _Thanks, Poe_. Rey looked toward the bench and gave a slight nod.

Poe turned to smile at them, and the other officers took this as a sign they should sit. Rey followed suit, and Rose leaned over again. “Poe is going to report on the battle first, and that should take up most of the time left in the morning session. You could be done by lunch,” Rose whispered in her ear.

“How do you know all this?” Rey murmured under her breath.

“We went over it all while we were in hyper,” Rose replied. “Did you not get any of this information?”

Rey turned to look Rose straight in the eyes. “I did not,” she mouthed.

Rose’s eyebrows knit together and her mouth tightened.

Once the Resistance group had retaken their seats, Poe began his briefing. “I know that some of you were expecting to see General Organa here testifying before you today. I regret to inform you that she succumbed to injuries incurred in her service to the Resistance.”

Poe paused for a moment. Rey could see him trying to swallow away the hoarseness that had crept into his voice. The chamber was immediately filled with gasps of shock and sadness from both the bench before them and the gallery behind them.

Mothma knocked the sounding stone against the bench. “Order!” She set the stone back down, adding, “I will remind those present in the Gallery that publication of these hearings is expressly forbidden upon penalty of removal from the Congress.” Sighing, she finished, “My apologies, General Dameron. Please continue.”

Poe nodded. “We are here in our hour of grief because the safety and self-determination of the free people of the New Republic was Leia Organa’s greatest concern in life. If in reporting to this congress we may advance her life’s work, we honor her memory in the best way we can.” He tapped his fingers nervously on top of his flimsies, and Rey felt a pang of sympathy for him. 

“Before I can speak about the engagement at Exegol, I must begin with our activities immediately preceding it. The Resistance had been developing a network of informants that could provide us with actionable information. It was one of these informants who passed along the information that Emperor Palpatine had in fact not died on the second Death Star above Endor, that he had begun once again influencing the fate of the Galaxy, and that there was a massive fleet gathering at a planet in the Unknown Reaches named Exegol.”

The purple-hued Mon Calamari at the end of the bench spoke into their amplifier. “Arda Mu, representing Mon Cala. How did you know that you could trust the information from your informant?”

Poe’s expression flashed with irritation. “The informant is a highly-placed First Order officer, who had the ear of former Supreme Leader Snoke and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. They had no reason to be giving us advance warning that the Emperor had returned to the Galaxy if they were trying to serve as a double agent to weaken the Resistance effort.”

Mothma frowned. “Can you name the informant now that the battle is over?”

Poe turned to look at the gallery behind them, then met the chairperson’s gaze. “I will not. Our informant remained in situ at their post; I do not know if they survived the battle, but if they did, I must act in the interest of their safety.”

Anger bubbled up in Rey. Surely a security committee could appreciate the need to keep sensitive information out of the eyes and ears of the Galaxy! If they couldn’t, then they were a risk to the whole Resistance. She could hear Rose exhaling loudly beside her, and knew that at least one person in the room felt the same way. Rey looked up at the bench. Mothma looked frustrated, but did not press Poe on the subject.

Without further comment from the bench, Poe continued giving his report. “Through the success of follow-on missions, we discovered that the path to Exegol was stored in a Sith wayfinder in the wreckage of the second Death Star located on Kef Bir. Jedi Rey was able to acquire the wayfinder and transmit its data back to the Resistance, so that we could intercept their planet-killer fleet before it could leave Exegol.”

Rey could see horror, shock, fear cross the faces of the committee, hear their murmurs of dismay. “Planet-killer fleet?” Mothma asked, her voice betraying a faint trembling.

Poe nodded, a grim expression on his face. “The same technology that we discovered on Ilum, what the First Order called Starkiller Base, now registered in the Galactic Registry of Systems as Solo Singularity,” he recited slowly, “had been installed on hundreds of Star Destroyers. They were in orbit, waiting for the order to jump to hyperspace to their first set of targets. Thanks to General Finn and our ground team, those Star Destroyers never received their order to jump to hyperspace; and thanks to the support of the Citizens’ Fleet, under the leadership of General Calrissian, those Star Destroyers did not survive to terrorize a single star system.”

The faces of the committee broke into smiles and approval. “And our Galaxy owes the Resistance a debt of thanks for it,” Mothma nodded, then gestured to the other end of the bench. 

The Sullustan at the far end spoke into his voicecoder. “Dua Ney of Sullust. With the planet-killer fleet destroyed, what do we know of Palpatine’s whereabouts?”

“While our ground team and air team dealt with the threat of the fleet, Jedi Rey traveled to the surface of Exegol to face the Emperor and his Sith cultists,” Poe answered. “With the lightsabers entrusted to her by Master Luke Skywalker, she was able to meet him in battle, and destroy him.”

Unsettled murmuring reached Rey’s ears. Did they think Poe was lying to them? She caught Poe’s gaze and frowned in sympathy. He nodded slightly, and gestured to her. She rose to her feet, and stepped forward to stand by his side.

“I am Rey of Jakku,” Rey said tartly, trying to keep the fire rising in her chest from seeping out into her tone - for Finn and Leia, if not for her own reputation. She could not care one bit about what these bureaucrats thought of her. “I was the last student of Master Luke Skywalker, and the only student of Leia Organa.” If these desk pilots wanted to doubt her abilities, she would remind them of who, exactly, her masters had been - what power had been their birthright. “Their teachings helped me call upon the spirits of the Jedi of ages past to lend their abilities, their power, to mine. With their help **_I_** reflected the Emperor’s attack back upon him, and he disintegrated in front of my eyes.” Her eyes swept down the bench, from the Sullustan to the Mon Calamari, looking in each set of eyes, daring them to push the issue.

Mothma, in the center, raised a placating hand. “Thank you for the clarification, Jedi Rey. There was no offense intended by the committee - merely surprise. You are young, to have such … talent with the Force.” The chairperson chose her words carefully, but the explanation only served to irritate Rey further. 

“Representative Sylvei, from Nakadia,” a being in a bubble-suit said through the suit’s voicecoder. “Jedi Rey, you have done the Galaxy a great service in ending the threat of the Emperor before he could be restored to his powers. Do you have knowledge of how he managed to survive his encounter with Master Skywalker at Endor?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Rey replied, thoroughly annoyed. How was she supposed to have details on something that happened long before she was born? “I do know that Supreme Leader Snoke was involved - Snoke was a clone. The Emperor’s facility on Exegol housed several more empty clone bodies,” she added, feeling a vengeful thrill of satisfaction at the resultant unease thrumming through the room. 

“Clones!” the Sullustan representative interjected. “Pray tell, what is the status of the other clones - or of their facility? Will we find ourselves facing the same problems our parents and grandparents faced?”

“I must ask your pardon, sir, for _I didn’t stay to find out_ ,” Rey retorted through clenched teeth. “I grew up on _Jakku_. I know very well what happens when a Star Destroyer crashes into a planet.”

The committee was silent. “Does the committee have any further questions for Jedi Rey?” As the silence stretched on for several seconds, Mothma nodded. “Thank you for your testimony, mistress Jedi. It will be added to the morning’s official record. You may return to your seat.”

If this was Galactic politics, the bottom-feeders could have it. Rey nodded abruptly to the chairperson, and sat back down next to Rose.

“That is absolute fathier scat,” Rose hissed in her ear. “You tell them that you made sure that Emperor Palpatine didn’t resume his galactic tyranny, and you don’t get so much as a polite handclap!”

Rey leaned towards her friend. “People understand spaceship battles and blasters and explosions, because they can see it anytime they want on the HoloNet. They don’t understand the Force,” she murmured, just loud enough for Rose’s ears.

“Ridiculous,” Rose grumbled under her breath, and Rey felt a wave of affection for her friend wash over her.

She looked back up at the bench, to see Mothma gesturing back to the Mon Calamari representative. “General Dameron,” Mu questioned in his vaguely-nasal tone, “If the fleet at Exegol was destroyed, do we know the status of the First Order leadership? If Palpatine was destroyed, if we need not fear him attempting to regain control over the clones Jedi Rey informed us about … does the Resistance know the whereabouts of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren?”

Rey’s whole body went hot, and her heart stuttered in her chest.

_You promised me, Poe -- you promised you promised you promised --_

Poe folded his hands over his flimsies on the table. “We do,” he said neutrally. “Kylo Ren was killed in the fighting on Exegol.”

The chamber burst into cheers and applause, and Rey inhaled sharply. Rose’s hand grasped hers tightly, and from Finn’s seat at the table, Rey could feel his concern and support. She sat still, trying to keep from lashing out with a committee of politicians and unknown agents nearby, but her hand trembled in Rose’s.

Mothma banged the sounding stone three times in rapid succession. The Sullustan representative asked “What do we know of his council? Of Armitage Hux, or Enric Pryde?”

Whatever Poe replied with, Rey couldn’t process it. It was all noise beneath the faint whine in her ears, a painful twisting in her belly, the trembling feeling spreading up her arms. She sat back in her seat and breathed deeply, just as she had done in the cockpit of Red Five on that long trip back to Ajan Kloss.

More talking. More banging of the sounding stone. Rey remembered the transport on Pasaana, and knew she was moments away from something horrible. She stood up abruptly, removing her hand from Rose’s.

“Rey?” Rose whispered, concern filling her tone.

“I have to get out of here. _Now_.”


End file.
